Malaysia Smelting Corporation (MSC) has attributed the latest suspension of mining operations at its century-old Rahman Hydraulic Tin (RHT) mine in Hulu Perak to extreme rainfall.
The company said the downpour overwhelmed drainage and retention ponds at the site where regulators found untreated water flowing directly into the river system.
About 60mm of rain fell within an hour on Aug 3, exceeding the 50mm maximum design intensity of RHT’s existing drainage and retention pond infrastructure, it said in a statement on Aug 18.
“The extreme rainfall exceeded the maximum design intensity of 50mm for RHT’s existing drainage and retention pond infrastructure, resulting in damage to certain drainage facilities and the retention ponds being overwhelmed,” it said.
MSC, which owns 80 percent of RHT, said the mine has begun repair and upgrading works following the suspension by the Minerals and Geoscience Department (MGD).
The Aug 12 suspension is the second in nine months, with both orders coming after sections of Sungai Perak near Gerik turned an unusual blue or greenish-blue.
The latest incident was reported by villagers on Aug 4, when two police reports were lodged over changes in the river’s colour and dead fish.
That was also the day MGD officers carried out a surprise inspection at RHT.
Perak MGD director Nizarulikram Abdul Rahim told Malaysiakini that officers found excess water from a retention pond at RHT’s off-river treatment area entering the river system without treatment.
“There was an excessive discharge of water from the retention pond at the off-river treatment area. The discharge was untreated and went directly into the river.
“We instructed them to fix the problem (effluent flowing directly into the river) immediately,” he said.
The pond was intended to collect surface runoff from the mine area.
MGD also tested the water at the site and found that it exceeded the permitted limit under the 2016 effluent regulations, Nizarulikram said.
Under normal conditions, MSC said RHT operates a closed-loop water management system, with no routine discharge of process water into the nearby river.
“Process water is retained and recirculated within the mine’s reservoirs, while water quality is managed through lime dosing to neutralise acidity and regular sampling conducted at designated monitoring points within the mine,” said the company.
Repairs and upgrades underway
MSC said the mine is engaging Perak MGD on a comprehensive remedial action plan.
There is no fixed date for mining to resume, as the suspension of mining and mine-development activities across five RHT leases on the site will remain in effect until MGD gives clearance.
Nizarulikram said RHT must upgrade its existing Erosion and Sediment Control Plan in Mining in accordance with MGD’s GP38 guidelines.
The revised plan must be submitted through a consulting engineer within 14 days of the suspension letter.
RHT was also ordered to carry out erosion and sediment-control works around its waste dump and along waterways, submit weekly progress reports, and provide a full report upon completion.
Nizarulikram said RHT already had an erosion and sediment control plan, but the incident showed that the retention pond did not have enough capacity for the extreme weather.
“So they have to upgrade it and submit another plan to us.
“The plan they submitted before was not sufficient for the extreme weather,” he said.
Did discharge turn Sungai Perak blue?
MGD’s findings do not establish whether the discharge from RHT caused Sungai Perak to turn greenish-blue.
Nizarulikram has not made that link, saying there were other possible sources of pollution in the wider catchment.
He previously pointed to high turbidity in Sungai Rui from land clearing for plantations, logging, and sand extraction, which are outside MGD’s jurisdiction.
He also identified clean-up work at another nearby tributary with a seasonal stream as a possible contributor.
Nizarulikram said old mining waste, possibly dating back 20 to 30 years, was being cleared from the stream when heavy rain fell.
The uncertainty, however, has not eased concern among people living and working downstream.
Gerik district police chief Abdul Samad Othman told Malaysiakini that police received three reports in July and another three in August over the river incidents.
Two of the three August reports were lodged on Aug 4, the same day as MGD’s surprise inspection.
Neither report identified a particular mine, mining company, chemical, or treatment system as the source. The complainants said they suspected pollution had occurred upstream.
Abdul Samad said the cases were being investigated by the Environment Department.
Nine months, two suspensions
RHT’s first suspension followed the blue Sungai Perak episode last October.
On Nov 13, 2025, RHT was ordered to suspend mining for three weeks while authorities investigated the river discolouration.
A rare earth operation and another tin mine in Hulu Perak were also suspended.
The mines were later allowed to resume operations on Dec 4 after taking remedial measures.
Then, on July 11 this year, the same stretch of Sungai Perak near Gerik turned greenish-blue again, with fisherfolk reporting dead fish.
At the time, MGD said its inspection did not indicate that RHT was responsible for the July incident.
The department also said treated discharge from an operational off-river treatment system met its requirements.
The latest suspension came eight days after MGD’s Aug 4 inspection.
Nizarulikram said the department waited for laboratory results and examined the relevant laws before issuing the order under Section 18(2)(b) of the Mineral Development Act 1994.
MSC said it could not yet determine the financial impact because it does not know how long the suspension will last.
Its separate tin-smelting operations are unaffected and continue as usual. - Mkini
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