Sabah minister of agriculture and food industry Junz Wong has made a call for total ban on sand mining and dredging activities in Keningau.

“Whether they possess TOL or Schedule B licences issued by Assistant Collector of Land Revenue (ACLR) officer, all works must stop immediately,” Junz affirmed.

Junz said those who disregard this order would risk losing their licences.

The minister also said that he would instruct Land and Survey Department to coordinate and carry out regular inspection so that these operators would not continue with their activities.

Junz said his ministry, through Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID), would conduct environmental impact assessment on the river in Keningau due to rampant sand mining activities for the last 20 years.

He said river sand as well as stone mining and dredging would also cause river bank erosion and degradation, destroy river habitats and disturb the aquatic ecosystem.

Hence, he urged the public to report any sand and gravel extraction to the relevant authorities so that rivers could be preserved.

- Bernama