Cause

For this critical environmental problem. There are several things that cause this
disaster. One of it and the major cause is the illegal bauxite mining at the Kuantan, Pahang
[1]. This mining activity creates wealth but it is also pollute the environment. The greediness
and unethical miners will proceed their mining activity without following the law and lead to
uncontrolled production of bauxite. All of the product produce does not have a proper storage
which is also a big contributor to this issue [2]. The bauxite pile being place at the site until
there is a transportation to transfer the bauxite to somewhere else. All of the bauxite are
exposed to the environment which can make it is easier for wind and rain to carry them away.
Rain can transfer the bauxite to the nearest river that can damage the quality of the water and
disturb the water ecosystem. Besides that, wind can also be the factor of this pollution. The
wind can carry the bauxite and transport it through air to the surrounding and cover the city
of Kuantan with a blanket of red bauxite [3]. Some of them can be change and prevent but
if someone does not take action on this problem. This problem will become even more
critical.

How to reduce

There is a lot has been done from the government to stricter the law and also gives
order to shut down the site and operate with schedule. Police also are monitoring the work
but this is only slightly reduce the pollution and some of them did not obey the order given
[4]. From engineering perspective, we need somehow block the wind and the water that
contain bauxite flowing out from the site. Therefore, for every bauxite mining site they need
to build a windbreaker to block the wind coming from outside. Water flow barrier also will
give a huge help for this cases as it will not disturb the water ecosystem and store the bauxite
water only inside the site [5]. For the community, the environmentalist need to hold a
campaign on how these bauxite can affect the environment. Also make flyers to increase the
awareness of the citizens in Pahang. By doing active campaign we can attract the attention of
the government to take action as soon as possible to reduce the suffer that been face by the
people of Kuantan, Pahang.
1) "Illegal Bauxite Mining A Killer". NST Online. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Mar. 2017.
2) "Three-Month Moratorium On Bauxite Mining In Pahang - Wan Junaidi".
English.astroawani.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.
3) "Pahang Residents See Red Over Bauxite Mining". The Straits Times. N.p., 2015.
Web. 1 Mar. 2017.
4) "Pahang Police Set Up Nine 24-Hour Checkpoints For Bauxite Lorries".
Themalaymailonline.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 Mar. 2017.
5) "Malaysian National News Agency :: BERNAMA". Maritime.bernama.com. N.p.,
2015. Web. 1 Mar. 2017.