By Michael Kaung
KOTA KINABALU: The state government has ordered river sand-mining operations at the ecologically sensitive Kinabatangan River in Sabah halted after a hue and cry by environmentalists.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun said he had ordered the Sabah Environment Protection Department (EPD) to rescind its Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) certificate approving dredging activities at the river.
Masidi said the government is also mulling banning all sand-extraction activities along the length of the Kinabatangan River.
He blasted the department, which comes under his ministry, for failing to take into account that the estuary is part of a wildlife corridor programme announced by the government.
Also under fire is the State Land and Survey Department which issued the licence to mine from the river. Masidi said the department should be held accountable.
The department had issued the licence to the sand-mining company in September last year, while the EIA report that cleared the way for it to start operations was released last month.
The letter from the EPD authorising the removal of sand from the river is understood to be valid for one year.
Diverse flora and fauna
The sand mining along the river came to light over the last few weeks when several barges were carrying sand to a landing point.
It sparked complaints from residents in the area who depend on the river for their livelihood as well as environmentalists, tour operators and tourists.
Masidi said that it made no sense to allow sand mining at the river known for its diverse flora and fauna and which falls within the state government's wildlife protection areas.
The Kinabatangan River is the second longest in the country, stretching for 560km from its source in the mountainous southwest of Sabah to its outlet at the Sulu Sea, east of Sandakan. It is considered an important part of the state's tourism industry.
The upper reaches of the river have been severely affected by excessive logging and clearing of land for plantations. However, the original lowland forests and mangrove swamps near the coast have largely survived and provide sanctuary for saltwater crocodiles and contain some of Borneo's highest concentration of wildlife.
Of special note are Borneo's indigenous proboscis monkeys and the endangered orangutans, Asian pygmy elephants and Sumatran rhinoceros. The area is also known for its large variety of birdlife.
Huge flood plain
Each year, the northeast monsoon causes the river to swell rapidly. Unable to disgorge into the sea quickly enough, the river frequently overflows its banks and spreads across the flat land of its lower reaches, creating a huge flood plain.
The lower Kinabatangan teems with both animal and plant life, making it the best area for viewing wildlife, not just in Sabah but also all of Southeast Asia.
In 1997, 270 sq km of the lower Kinabatangan floodplain was declared a protected area, and in 2001 this designation was upgraded to that of bird sanctuary.
Further efforts to have the area declared a "wildlife refuge" or even "national park" had been opposed by the largely oil palm plantation owners seeking to expand their cultivated land.
However, in 2006, following media exposure of a decapitated elephant's head found floating down the river, the area was finally gazetted under the State's Wildlife Conservation Enactment of 1997 as the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary. It is now under the purview of the Sabah Wildlife Department.
The state government has since then stressed the importance of protecting the river.
