KUALA LUMPUR: VALUABLE minerals are lying in the belly of almost every state in the country, waiting to be tapped.
The Minerals and Geoscience Department, following their extensive and systematic exploration of
minerals beneath the country’s surface, revealed to the New Straits Times that many landowners, including state governments, have been told of their likely new source of wealth.
With many new areas in the country already established as mineral-rich, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry is optimistic of seeing a significant growth in the mining industry compared with the recent years.
These precious mineral deposits, many sitting under undeveloped land, include gold, iron ore, tin, bauxite, copper, silica sand, kaolin, ball clay, limestone, rock aggregates, feldspar and coal.
Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan, Johor, Negri Sembilan, as well as Sabah and Sarawak have been found to be gold-rich.
Aside from Pahang, which recently discovered a massive bauxite-rich site in Felda Bukit Goh, near Kuantan, Terengganu, Johor and Perak are also rich in the precious mineral.
As exciting as it sounds, where these minerals are exactly will be the secret of the department and the lucky landowners.
Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri James Dawos Mamit said the department would inform the land owners directly of any discoveries to prevent illegal mining or a rush for the minerals.
“The department will carry out a feasibility study at the land before the landowners are
given details of the findings, including the exact type of deposits and its estimated volume.
“The decision to mine will be the landowners’. If they are keen on it, they will have to apply for mining licence from the state governments,” he told the New Straits Times yesterday.
James said landowners would have to weigh the cost of mining
the minerals and the volume that they would likely be able to extract before deciding if their land was worth mining.
Besides bauxite and gold, common minerals like rock aggregates, tin and ball clay can be found in almost all states.
Only Sabah and Sarawak have an abundance of coal, a rare resource in the country.
Iron ore, one of the main raw materials to make steel, can be found
in Terengganu, Pahang, Johor
and Perak.
Pahang, Sabah and Sarawak are rich in precious copper, while silica sand can be found in Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu, Perak and Johor.
Kaolin, also called china clay, is an essential material in the manufacturing of porcelain wares, paper, rubber and paint. It can be
widely found in Perak, Johor, Sarawak, Terengganu, Pahang and Sabah.
Feldspar, used in the manufacturing of many everyday items like drinking glasses, floor tiles and shower basins, can be found in Kelantan, Pahang, Perak and Negri Sembilan.