Kota Kinabalu: Parti Warisan urged the State Government to explain its failure to activate emergency alerts after a dangerous chemical spill at a gold mining operation in Bukit Mantri, where sodium cyanide contamination was documented in a viral video.
Video footage shows a breached containment pond leaking wastewater suspected to contain toxic cyanide compounds into the surrounding ecosystem.
Despite the clear danger to nearby worker housing and downstream villages, no official warnings were issued to prevent use of potentially poisoned water sources.
“This failure of early warning systems and public safety measures is unacceptable,” said Merotai Assemblyman cum Kalabakan Warisan Chief Sarifuddin Hata, in a statement, here.
“Where is the emergency protocol? Why were not families warned not to use river water for drinking or bathing? This is not just about regulatory failure but a blatant disregard for human lives,” he said.
He urged the State Government to immediately halt all gold mining operations at the site pending a new Environmental Impact Assessment and to disclose the full list of toxic substances involved.
He also called for emergency safety protocols to alert and protect nearby residents.
“Environmental accidents can happen but silence and inaction in the face of a toxic spill is inexcusable.
“Gold is not worth more than the health of our people,” he said.
