Green Groups Urge Govt To Probe Delays In Blue River Case

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Greenpeace Malaysia and Save Malaysia, Stop Lynas (SMSL) have urged the government to investigate the 13-day delay in Sungai Perak’s “blue river” pollution case last month.
At a joint press conference in Kuala Lumpur today, the groups expressed concern over the government’s “apparent systemic failures” and "lack of urgency” in addressing industrial pollution.
They also called for immediate reforms to the Environment Department (DOE).
“Given that the DOE maintains a comprehensive database of chemicals and waste produced by all factories, identifying facilities capable of producing blue waste should be a matter of hours, not days.
“This delay naturally allowed critical evidence to be washed away, compromising the investigation,” said SMSL spokesperson Alan Chan.
“While we acknowledge the Perak state government’s action to halt the three implicated mines, the DOE’s investigation timeline raises serious questions about its operational competence and urgency,” he added.
On Nov 3, the DOE identified three mining operations in the upper reaches of Sungai Perak in Gerik when investigating reports that water in the river had recently turned bluish.
Its director-general, Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar, said the area involved one rare earth element mine and two tin mines.
He also said preliminary investigations suggested that nearby mining activities were likely the cause of the river’s discolouration, although other possible contributing factors could not be ruled out.
Wan Latiff said further investigations are ongoing, and the findings will be announced once the chemical analysis report is received.
Photos of Sungai Perak went viral last month, in which waters near the Kampung Sungai Papan Bridge, about 5km north of Kampung Air Ganda in Gerik, appeared blue.
Following that, Perak DOE director Ezanni Mat Salleh said the incident was suspected to have been caused by mining activities, and investigations were underway.
Environment Department director-general Wan Abdul Latiff Wan JaffarLynas coloured discharge
Meanwhile, Chan also emphasised how the Sungai Perak case was a reflection of the government’s “pattern of delay and inaction,” highlighting a similar, unresolved issue where coloured discharge had emerged from Lynas’ waste management plant in Gebeng in July 2022.
He explained that the group also previously contacted the DOE on the matter, but had since failed to receive adequate responses.
“In that case, 25 specific questions were submitted to the DOE regarding the source, composition, and potential environmental impact of the colored discharge, and the legality of Lynas Advanced Material Plant’s (Lamp) water abstraction practices.
“The DOE’s reply addressed only one point that a sample was taken - and failed to answer the remaining 24 critical questions, including requests for groundwater data and historical monitoring results,” he said.
Chan further urged the government to immediately conduct a transparent and independent review of the DOE’s standard operating procedures in responding to pollution incidents.
He also called upon the government to publicly explain the reasons for the 13-day investigative delay in the Sungai Perak case, and to reopen the investigations into the 2022 unresolved Lamp pollution incident.
The activist stressed that the authorities should also publicise all relevant environmental monitoring data and investigation reports, to ensure accountability.
“Our rivers and natural ecosystems are a national treasure and a public health imperative. The repeated failure of the agency entrusted with their protection is unacceptable.
“We demand professionalism, transparency, and urgent corrective action to restore public confidence in Malaysia's environmental governance,” he said. - Mkini

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