Two recent academic studies contradict the Selangor state goverment’s assertion that Bestari Jaya’s mine pond water meets health standards.

A study from University Malaya entitled ‘Study of Water Quality and Heavy Metals in Soil & Water of Ex-Mining Area Bestari Jaya, Peninsular Malaysia’ suggests that most of physio-chemical parameters and metals concentration found in Bestari Jaya exceeds the permissible limits set by Malaysian Water Quality Standards.

This contradicted Executive Councilor Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi’s claim that the water had met health standards based on samples taken from the Hang Tuah pond at Bestari Jaya; and thus the Selangor state decided that mine water from Bestari Jaya will be channeled to Sungai Selangor.

The authors had noted with alarm, in the aforementioned University Malaya June 2010 study, the level of degradation in the quality of water and severe heavy metal pollution in Bestari Jaya mining pond.

“This spawns a major environmental challenge to the ecosystem and pollution possibilities to Sungai Selangor, the end recipient,” says Charles Santiago, Klang MP.

Adding to that, another study from by the same authors entitled ‘Speciation of Heavy Metals in the Sediments of Former Tin Mining Cathcment’ analyzing the Bestari Jaya ex-mining pond showed that sediments were polluted with arsenic (8.8%), chromium (12.9%), copper (17.4%), lead (19.5%), zinc (14.9) and tin (33.8%).

The study showed that Bestari Jaya mine ponds are faced with heavy metal pollution with intensity levels between moderate to very high.

“The significance of this is that these heavy metals posits a high environmental and human risk,” said the Klang MP, who reiterated his call to the Selangor state government to make public, the Health Department’s report and chemical content report in the interests of public health.

Charles Santiago also added that there is no evidence to show that the Bestari Jaya pond was rehabilitated or treated since its closure. -The Rocket