The Malaysian Chambers of Mines (MCOM), in collaboration with the Kuala Lumpur Tin Market (KLTM), the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry and the Minerals and Geoscience Department, expects to come out with a blueprint in the next 12 months on the use of ex-mining land for commercial and community-driven projects.
MCOM executive director Muhamad Nor Muhamad said there were about 200,000ha of ex-mining land in the country, of which two-thirds were utilised while the balance was left idle.
“The idle ex-mining land can be used for various commercial and socially-driven projects, but first we need to identify where such land is located in each state,” he told StarBiz yesterday.
He said the unused mining land could be developed into wetlands for tourism, fish breeding and other agricultural activities, commercial and residential property development and even a place to tap energy from wind as a renewable energy source.
Muhamad Nor also said KLTM would be organising an international conference on the Rehabilitation, Restoration and Transformation of Mining Land with the theme_ There Is Life After Mining _from Nov 1 to Nov 3 in Petaling Jaya.
He said 30 exhibitors and 300 delegates from over 15 developed and developing countries would be sharing their experiences and expertise in the use of ex-mining land.
The 37 papers to be presented would touch on various issues such as mine rehabilitation, restoration and transformation of ex-mining land, environmental protection, sustainability, policy and legislations.
Other issues to be addressed include technical, technology, engineering aspects, financial and tax implications.
Muhamad Nor said the conference, the first of its kind on the development of ex-mining land, would provide a platform for various experts to meet and brainstorm to see how they could pool their resources and knowledge to provide tangible benefits by using ex-mining land for commercial and social projects.
On the concept, Muhamad Nor said it was first mooted by MCOM president and chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Ajib Annuar.
“We believe the projects undertaken for commercial or social reasons will benefit many Malaysians as they can develop skills and knowledge that will be in demand, especialy for projects abroad,” he noted.
Malaysia was chosen for the inaugural conference because there were many entrepreneurs here that had made good with ex-mining land, he said, citing Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah (Sunway Lagoon theme park) and Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew (The Mines) as examples.
To create greater awareness of the tin mining industry’s history, KLTM has funded the publication of a coffee table book entitled Tin Story – Heritage of Malaysia, which traces the industry’s growth and prosperity over the years.
