KOTA KINABALU : If Wullersdorf Resources Sdn Bhd had a mitigation plan and had complied with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) perfectly, the collapse of the Wet Wastewater Treatment (TSF) pond tire wall would not have happened.
Merotai State Assemblyman (ADUN), Sarifuddin Hatta said that Wullersdorf Resources’ statement claiming that they always comply with environmental guidelines are false and it is an attempt to distort the real facts.
He said that one thing that is quite strange is that the investigation by the Department of Minerals and Geosciences Malaysia Sabah branch (JMG) found that the TSF pond tire wall belonging to Wullersdorf Resources was found to be leaking.
“However, the Sabah Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has issued a stern warning to Southsea Gold even though Southsea Gold had sent an official letter to EPD in 2023 stating that Southsea Gold would no longer be operating in the area.
“Recently, Southsea Gold has revoked the approval of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) and will thus drag the relevant parties to court,” he said in a media statement today.
Sarifuddin said he was also informed that Wullersdorf Resources had obtained a court injunction to repair the broken Ban Kolam and repair the existing ditch.
“Instead, Wullersdorf Resources abused the injunction by encroaching on Southsea Gold’s land and building a new ditch in that land also diverting water containing high levels of acid to a nearby river.
“This is not the time to cover up or politicize the disaster. The world is watching. The people have the right to know the truth,” explained Sarifuddin.
According to him, he urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to immediately investigate all parties involved in this management failure.
“We were informed that a field inspection was conducted by the Department of Minerals and Geosciences Malaysia Sabah branch, the Department of Environmental Protection Sabah, the Forestry Department, the Tawau Municipal Council and the Health Department on May 20.
“The results of the field inspection, the Department of Minerals and Geosciences Malaysia through a JMG letter dated May 23 found that the cause of the collapse of the Wet Waste (TSF) Tank Wall owned by Wullersdorf Resources Sdn Bhd was due to a leak in the tank wall,” he said.
Indirectly, this caused the water in the tank to flow out and flood the workers’ houses and orchards at the bottom of the TSF tank.
“The collapse of the Tank Wall (TSF) is a very serious natural disaster and has never happened in Malaysia before.
“Such incidents have occurred in several countries and their swift action was to declare an emergency in the affected areas because the toxic substance Sodium Cyanide is very dangerous to the entire universe and natural life in addition to the loss of millions of ringgit due to the pollution,” he said.
He added that this was a leak in the tire wall due to a weakness in the TSF Pond’s containment system.
