Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................... 9
1.1 PROJECT TITLE ..................................................................................................................... 9
1.2 PROJECT PROPONENT ........................................................................................................... 9
1.3 MINING CONSULTANT ............................................................................................................. 9
1.4 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT ............................................................................................... 9
1.5 LEGAL REQUIREMENT .......................................................................................................... 12
1.6 PURPOSE OF TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR) ........................................................................... 12
1.7 PURPOSE OF SPECIAL EIA.................................................................................................... 12
1.8 SPECIAL EIA STUDY GUIDELINES .......................................................................................... 13
2.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ........................................................................................... 13
2.1 TOR BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................. 13
2.2 STATEMENT OF NEED ........................................................................................................... 14
2.3 PROJECT LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY ................................................................................ 14
2.4 PROJECT STATUS ................................................................................................................ 15
2.5 LAND STATUS ...................................................................................................................... 16
2.6 MINERAL ORE RESERVES ..................................................................................................... 16
2.7 PROJECT COMPONENTS ....................................................................................................... 17
2.8 PROCESS DESCRIPTION ....................................................................................................... 17
2.8.1 Open Cast Mining Method .......................................................................................... 17
2.8.2 Mineral Ore Treatment Process .................................................................................. 18
2.8.3 AMD Treatment Process ............................................................................................. 19
2.9 PROJECT ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................................ 20
3.0 PRELIMINARY DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING ENVIRONMENT ............................................ 21
3.1 PHYSICAL E NVIRONMENT ...................................................................................................... 21
3.1.1 Meteorology................................................................................................................ 21
3.1.2 Topography ................................................................................................................ 22
3.1.3 Hydrology ................................................................................................................... 22
3.1.4 Geology ...................................................................................................................... 22
3.1.5 Soil ............................................................................................................................. 22
3.2 BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT................................................................................................... 22
3.2.1 Flora........................................................................................................................... 22
3.2.2 Fauna ......................................................................................................................... 23
3.3 SOCIO-ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT.......................................................................................... 24
3.3.1 Administrative Unit ...................................................................................................... 24
3.3.2 Land Use .................................................................................................................... 24
4.0 SCOPE OF WORKS FOR SPECIAL EIA STUDY .................................................................. 24
4.1 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ........................................................................................................ 25
4.2 DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING ENVIRONMENT/ DATA COLLECTION ................................................. 25
4.2.1 Physical Environment ................................................................................................. 25
4.2.1.1 Topographical and Physical Characteristics....................................................................... 25
4.2.1.2 Geological Features and Soil Characteristics ..................................................................... 25
4.2.1.3 Drainage and River System .............................................................................................. 25
List of Tables
Table 1.1: Special EIA Team Members (Registered with EPD)......................................................... 10
Table 1.2: Special EIA Team Members (Not Registered with EPD) .................................................. 11
Table 2.1: Chronological Background of Special TOR Submission ................................................... 13
Table 2.2: Phase 1 Mantri Block Boundary Coordinates ................................................................... 15
Table 2.3: Preliminary Mineral Reserves in Mantri Block .................................................................. 16
Table 2.4: Project Activities for the Proposed Gold Mining Project.................................................... 20
Table 5.1: Zone of Impact ................................................................................................................ 31
Table 6.1: Scoping Matrix of Environmental Issues .......................................................................... 32
Table 8.1: Prediction Methods for Assessment of Impacts................................................................ 46
Table 8.2: Criteria Used For Impact Evaluation ................................................................................ 47
List of Figures
Figure 4.0 Successive Alkalinity Production System (SAPS) for AMD Treatment
Figure 5.0 Relative Density Distribution of Orangutan in Ulu Kalumpang, Mt. Wullersdorf and Tawau
Hills Park
List of Plates
Plate 1 Existing site condition within Mantri Block whereby logging tracks have been established
by previous logging contractor.
Plate 2 Existing workers quarter onsite established for mine prospecting purpose.
Plate 3 A tributary of Sg. Mantri which traverses through Phase 1 area on the south-western
part.
List of Appendices
Abbreviations
AMSL Above Mean Sea Level
AMD Acid Mine Drainage
ARI Annual Recurrence Interval
BOD Biochemical Oxygen Demand
CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
CL Country Lease
CV Curriculum Vitae
DBH Diameter at Breast-Height
DID Department of Irrigation and Drainage
DO Dissolved Oxygen
DOE Department of Environment
DOSH Department of Occupational Safety and Health
DTM Digital Terrain Model
EHRA Environmental Health Risk Assessment
EIA Environmental Impact Assessment
EPD Environment Protection Department
EMP Environmental Management Plan
GPS Global Positional System
IfSAR Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar
IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature
MSDS Material Safety Data Sheet
MTP Mineral Treatment Plant
NE North East
NGO Non-Governmental Organisation
NW North West
NWQSM National Water Quality Standards for Malaysia
OP Occupational Permit
OPP Ore Processing Plant
OSA One Stop Agency
PAX Potassium Amyl Xanthate
PE Population Equivalent
PGA Peak Ground Acceleration
PPE Personal Protection Equipment
RL Reduced Level
SAMM Skim Akreditasi Makmal Malaysia
SAPS Succesive Alkalinity Production System
SEIA Special Environmental Impact Assessment
SFD Sabah Forestry Department
SWD Sabah Wildlife Department
TOR Terms of Reference
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The title of this Project is Proposed Gold Mining (Phase 1) on CL. 105651438 at Mount
Wullersdorf, Tawau, Sabah. Throughout this Terms of Reference (TOR), it will be
referred to as the Gold Mining Project or simply the Project.
The Project Proponent is Southsea Gold Sdn Bhd. Details pertaining to the Project
Proponent are as follows:
Dr. Selamat Bin Aliman is a registered geologist with the Minerals and Geoscience
Department Malaysia; as well as a registered mining and quarrying consultant with the
Department of Environment, Malaysia (CS0348).
The list of consultants involved in the preparation of this Special EIA is listed in Table 1.1
and Table 1.2. The detailed Curriculum Vitae (CVs) of the team members are attached in
Appendix 1.
Academic Registered
No Personnel Report Contribution
Qualification Areas
Academic Registered
No Personnel Report Contribution
Qualification Areas
6. Rebecca T.F. Poong B. Sc. Env Sc. Land Use Land Use
Reg. No: S0008 Environmental
Expiry Date: 30.09.16 Management &
Technical Review
Table 1.2: Special EIA Team Members (Not Registered with EPD)
3. Prof. Madya Ir. Dr. Zaki M. Eng. (Chemical) Water Quality &
Zainuddin B. Sc. (Chemical Eng) Modelling
The proposed mining Project is a prescribed activity which falls under the Second Schedule
of the Environment Protection (Prescribed Activities) (Environmental Impact Assessment)
Order 2005 under the following items:
Item 7: Mining
Mining including open cast mining for minerals pursuant to any mining lease:
(a) Covering an area of 20 hectares or more; or
(b) Any form of mining which is likely to affect the landscape of the mining area so as
to require rehabilitation thereof upon the cessation of the mining activities, or which
involves the use of chemicals or explosives.
Upon discussion with the EPD, the proposed Project falls under the category of a Special
EIA due to its scale and sensitivity with adjacent forest reserves (Mount Wullersdorf Forest
Reserve Class I (Protected) and Ulu Kalumpang Forest Reserve Class 1 (Protected). In
addition, mineral mining activities are typically associated with the production of Acid Mine
Drainage (AMD) which can potentially have a significant impact on the human environment
in the long term if not properly managed and controlled.
Therefore, a comprehensive and detailed assessment of the key environmental issues and
impacts is necessary to evaluate the significance of the environmental impacts, and to
formulate appropriate mitigation measures and monitoring programme for the mining
project.
The main purpose of this TOR is to describe the requirements for a Special EIA; to provide
the scope of study and also as guidance to the preparation of the Special EIA report. These
are to ensure that the study will be in line with the environmental, social and economics
requirements of the relevant stakeholders. The TOR will be project and site specific,
detailing the impact assessment and itemises the potential environmental impacts.
The main objective of the Special EIA is to ensure that all impacts, direct and indirect,
especially the environmental, social and economics associated with the proposed Gold
Mining Project is fully examined and addressed. Consistent with the objective, the Special
EIA report shall be a self-contained and comprehensive document which provides:-
For the general public, a basic for understanding the proposal, alternatives and
preferred solutions, the existing environment and the potential environmental, social
and economic changes that may occur if the proposal is implemented;
For decision maker, information for assessing the proposed Project and likely impacts
of all associated activities with respect to the environment, legislative and policy
provisions; and
This Special EIA study and report will be undertaken in accordance to the following
guidelines issue by EPD and DOE:
The historical background of the Special TOR document submitted to EPD Sabah is outlined
in Table 2.1.
Date Item
th
Special TOR not approved
19 March 2015
[EPD letter ref: JPAS/PP/21/600-1/04/1/2 KLT.2(55)]
th
28 May 2015 Submission of Revised Special TOR document
As such, this updated Special TOR has been prepared based on the understanding of the
Project concept; concerns and issues raised by the relevant stakeholders in the earlier
letters/ meetings as well as the public review process back in February 2015 to ensure the
work scope for the Special EIA study is adequately covered.
Forestry, agriculture as well as oil & gas sectors have and are presently contributing
tremendously to the Sabah State Government. In the recent years, the depletion of forest
resources with emphasis on sustainable development as well as agriculture land which is
becoming more scarce with existing ones having been maximised, there is greater demand
for economic mineral exploitation to generate income for the state for the benefit of Sabah
people. The State of Sabah is endowed with a wide range of minerals in the earths crust
which provides an excellent future for the mineral and mining industry in Malaysia. Mineral
mining works generally occupies a smaller and specific land area compared to forestry and
agriculture industries, thus environmentally easier to control and monitor which will minimise
environmental issues.
Southsea Gold Sdn Bhd, a locally incorporated company has been granted a prospecting
license from the State Government of Sabah through the Lands and Surveys Department in
st
1 January 2013 to explore economic minerals within Mount Wullersdorf area in Tawau,
Sabah. Previous mineral exploration activities conducted by the Minerals and Geoscience
Department have delineated that the license area has a high potential for metallic mineral
resources especially gold and base metals. Therefore, this Project is initiated. Well-
managed, transparent and accountable precious metals resource mining can be a major
contributor to economic growth of Sabah due to creation of employment and business
opportunities as well as royalty and tax revenue to the government.
Income generated from this proposed Project upon full operation is estimated to be
approximately 600 million/ year of which 400 million annually will be contributed to the
government and public particularly to the locals in Tawau and nearby Semporna and Kunak
areas through continuous maintenance works required for the mining operation, upgrading
of access roads, improvement of electricity and water supply as well as construction of
public amenities with priority for contracts to local population based on available skills and
specialisation. The Project will also generate long-term income to the State Government of
Sabah through royalty payments which will indirectly benefit the whole people of Sabah.
The proposed 1,000 ha mining lease (CL.105651438) is located on the south-eastern part of
the 20,000 ha prospecting license area within Mount Wullersdorf area. However, Phase 1
(Mantri Block) which only covers 475 ha is located on the north-western part of
CL.105651438. See location of the areas mentioned in Figure 1.0. The Mantri Block
coordinate boundary is outlined in Table 2.2.
H 04o3034.34 118o0743.29
I 04o3034.77 118o0752.84
o o
J 04 3050.74 118 0746.84
The remaining areas within CL.105651438 are for future development and no plans have
been finalised for this area yet.
On a regional scale, the Project is located approximately 38 km (in direct distance) north-
east of Tawau township and 25 km north of Tawau Airport.
Currently, the site is accessible via the existing sealed road of Jalan Bukit Kawa, branching
off from Tawau Semporna dual carriageway road which is currently undergoing road
upgrading works. Thereafter, the road traverses into Jalan Bukit Mull and thereafter
branches into private plantation lands [written consent from the owners is in progress, verbal
consent obtained], JKR road reserve and Mount Wullersdorf Forest Reserve of which the
necessary Occupational Permit (OP) have been obtained from the Sabah Forestry
Department [OP Number: JP/OP/KUNAK 1/2013 and JP/OP/KUNAK 1/2015]. See copy in
Appendix 2.0.
Site Status: Within site, mineral prospecting activities have started since year 2013 with the
issuance of the prospecting license under the Mining Ordinance 1960. Hence, there have
been vegetation clearing and re-establishment of old logging trails created by past logging
contractor. Some facilities such as site office, workers quarters, storage area, etc. have also
been established onsite. See Plates 2 and 4. No mining activities or installation of mineral
ore treatment system is observed and most of the area is still heavily vegetated.
Mining Scheme: The preliminary mining scheme report prepared by KF Lee Mining
Consultant & Surveyor has been accepted by the Minerals and Geoscience Department
Malaysia, Sabah on 7th November 2014. Copy of the acceptance is attached as Appendix
2.0. A detailed mining scheme proposal is currently being prepared by the appointed mining
consultant, i.e. SBA Consultants Sdn Bhd based on the requirements under the Mineral
Development Act 1994. This report will entail the drilling and blasting design proposed for
Mantri Mine Area. Details and findings of the proposal will be incorporated into the final
SEIA report.
Geological & Hydrological Report: A detailed geological and hydrological report will be
prepared by a registered geologist and submitted to the Minerals and Geoscience
Department Malaysia, Sabah for comments and acceptance. Presently, this is on-going.
Erosion and Sediment Control Plan: This detailed plan which outlines the key measures
for erosion control due to the mining activities will be prepared by a professional engineering
consultant firm and submitted to the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) Sabah for
comments and acceptance. Currently, this is being prepared.
The proposed Phase 1 mining area (475 ha) is sited on part of CL.105651438 (1,000 ha)
which belongs to Southsea Gold Sdn Bhd. See Appendix 3.0 for copy of the land title. The
area was previously part of Mount Wullersdorf and Ulu Kalumpang Forest Reserves under
the purview of the Sabah Forestry Department before it was alienated under Section 57 of
the Land Ordinance Cap 68 and Section 16 of the Mining Ordinance No. 22 of 1960 for the
purpose of mining on 9th January 2015. The mining lease is valid for a period of 35 years
(from January 2014 until December 2048).
Based on the mineral exploration results by Southsea Gold Sdn Bhd to date, the mineral
reserves for Mantri Block are derived from the oxidised ore from the upper layers and the
sulphide ore from the underlying sulphide ore bodies. Summary of the preliminary economic
ore reserves for Mantri Block are tabulated in Table 2.3. Associated recoverable minerals
from the ore include silver and copper.
Measured 1,462,500
2.96 4.13 0.1373
Indicated 10,107,500
1
Measured reserve is the amounts of mineral reserve ascertain through close space drilling wheareas
indicated reserve is the indicative amount available excluding the measured reserve. Indicated amount can be
converted to measured reserve once more drilling activities are conducted.
The proposed production capacity (both mineral ore and overburden) is estimated to be
st
60,000 tonnes/ month for the 1 two years before gradually increasing to a maximum of
120,000 tonnes/ month from the 3rd year onwards once all the necessary equipment and
machinery are working at optimum condition. The estimated lifespan of Mantri Mine Area is
approximately 9 years from the present level until the targeted mine platform level of 250 m
based on the mine layout optimization study conducted earlier on.
Major components of the Gold Mining Project are as follows (but not limited to):-
g. Workers Quarters
h. Canteen
i. Workshop
j. Storage Area
Refer to the conceptual site layout in Figure 2.0. Details on these components will be further
elaborated in the SEIA report.
The ore mineral deposit in Mantri Block occurred as sulphide mineralisation in quartz veins
hosted by andesitic volcanic rock. The deposit consists of an oxide ore zone at the upper
layer up to 20 m from the surface and a sulphide ore zone below. The most suitable and
economically viable method of mining is by open cast (surface) mining method. In this
method, the topsoil overburden is removed to expose the deeper, ore rock layer. The ore
rock layer is then drilled and blasted into smaller pieces using explosives. The ore rock is
then loaded onto trucks and taken to the crushing and processing area.
Working area in Mantri Block will be divided into two (2) main sections, i.e. upper and lower
section. The upper section (Mantri Mine Area) is where all the quarrying and mining
activities will be conducted whereas the lower section will be where the main processing
facilities are for the ore mineral.
With open cast mining method, both overburden and top clayey oxidised ore at the mine
surface are shall be excavated using hydraulic excavators. It shall then be loaded unto
dump trucks to be hauled to the designated dry dump stockpile areas in the case of
overburden waste whilst the mineral bearing oxidised ore will be hauled to the Ore
Processing Plant (OPP) for removal of clayey soil and recovery of oxidised ore.
After the removal of surface oxidised ore layers, the underlying sulphite ore in hard andesite
will be exposed. Mining of the hard andesitic rocks will be carried out by drilling and blasting
method. However, mining of sulphite ore will only commence after the installation of the
Mineral Treatment Plant (MTP) for sulphite ore.
Oxidised ore hauled from the Mantri Mine Area will be fed into crushers to reduce the size of
the materials. Thereafter, it will be fed into ball mills. In the ball mill, the ore materials will be
grinded to 150 micron. It is at this particle size that the micron gold such as chalcopyrite,
galena and quartz will be liberated from the ore. The grind mineral ore will be fed into
shaking tables (vibrating screens) which recovers specific minerals (gold, silver, copper,
etc.) of commercial values based on the mineral density. The recovered minerals will be
dried at the storage yard before packed into jumbo bags for export. The remaining fine sand
(rock sand) from the screen will be stockpiled temporary onsite before selling out to buyers.
The slurry from the screen will be diverted into clay-lined sedimentation ponds at the tailing
storage area for retention of which the water will be recycled back for process use. The soil
accumulated at the bottom of the pond will be left in-situ.
The blasted ore rock fragments will be fed into the feeder hopper of the crushing and
screening plant. Clayed materials will be removed as scalp by the grizzly screen. Oversized
rock will drop into the jaw crusher where the output rock fragments will be discharged into
the surge pile.
From the tunnel under the surge pile, the rock materials will be conveyed into secondary
and tertiary crusher to further reduce the rock fragment size before conveyed into the ball
mills to ground the ore particles down to 150 microns. The milled ore particles are then fed
into flotation cells which uses Potassium Amyl Xanthate (PAX) as a flotation agent.
Potassium Amyl Xanthate (PAX) is a yellowish, pale grey powder or pallet which is widely
used in flotation process of sulphide minerals. The MSDS for PAX is attached in Appendix
4.0.
Air will be introduced from the bottom of the flotation cells and frothing air bubbles will be
created with the help of a rotating stirrer. Mineralised ore particles being hydrophobic will be
separated at the surface of the air bubbles. The bubbles having collected the mineral
particles will continue to rise to the surface of the cell and be collected as froths.
The mineral ore concentrates collected will be fed into large diameter classifier to allow the
mineral particles to be separated under gravity from the liquid. Alkalinity will be further
controlled to achieve efficient settling of heavy mineral particles. The lighter gangue particles
together with water will be discharged into the tailing retention area.
Heavier mineral ore concentrates settled at the bottom of the classifier will be conveyed into
filter press to control the moisture content as per buyer required specification. The final
mineral ore concentrates packed in jumbo bags will be loaded onto trucks for delivery to the
nearby port for loading into cargo ships.
It is essential to note at this point that this Project does not involve any extraction of pure
gold from the mineral ore products; hence there is no chemical leaching or use of cyanide in
the process at the project site.
The preliminary layout of the Gold Mining Project is shown in Figure 2.0 with the overall
mining process illustrated on Figure 3.0.
Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) will be invariably formed by sulphide oxidation of minerals
(primarily from iron sulphide, FeS2) upon exposure to oxygen and water, forming sulphuric
acid which is a highly corrosive chemical. The acid water also leaches heavy metals from
the surrounding rocks into the water, further aggravating the water quality. AMD, if
uncontrolled, can result in the following:
Limiting downstream beneficial use of river water which may include fishing, irrigation,
aquaculture, livestock, etc.;
At the open pit mine, AMD can be formed when the mineral rocks are exposed to oxygen
and water. However, continuous pumping of water from the mine pit as well as gradual
opening up of the mine area will indefinitely slow down acid formation. Tailing slurry
generated from the mineral ore treatment process may also possibly contain AMD.
To reduce possible environmental impacts of AMD, all tailing slurry water will be channelled
to a treatment system called Succesive Alkalinity Producing System (SAPS) and UV
filtration. The SAPS treatment process comprises of two (2) key objectives: i./ raise the pH
value and thus, lower the sulphate concentration and salinity in the tailing water; and ii./
lower, precipitate and oxidise the dissolved toxic metal concentration in the tailing water.
The SAPS basically entails series of containment or pond whereby in each pond,
hydrostatic pressure of stored water column will push the water through layers of organic
materials and limestone (Calcium Oxide). This will raise the tailing slurry water pH level to
approximately 10 to 12 with the organic materials used to absorb the heavy metal ions. See
illustration in Figure 4.0.
The final treated AMD water from SAPS will be pumped back for re-use in the mineral ore
treatment process. The overflow, to be discharge into tributary of Sg. Mantri onsite will be
channelled into UF water treatment filtration system to further treat and reduce the
possibility of heavy metal content in the water through removal of additional solids (if any)
before discharge. The system consists of pH adjustment to increase the pH level so that the
remaining fine particles in the water form mineral hydroxide. These will go through
coagulation process and filtered to 0.1 micron before the treated overflow water is
discharge.
Figure 4.0: Successive Alkalinity Production System (SAPS) for AMD Treatment
There are basically four (4) stages for this Project as summarised in the following Table 2.4.
Table 2.4: Project Activities for the Proposed Gold Mining Project
3.1.1 Meteorology
Located within Tawau, Sabah, the project area generally experiences an equatorial climate,
with uniform temperature, high humidity and substantial amount of rainfall throughout the
year. Based on the meteorological data obtained from the nearest meteorological station
2
Logs of commercial values from the necessary tree felling activities will be sold off and royalty payments will
be made to the State Government. Other suitable logs will be used for onsite infrastructure establishment/
improvement.
located at Tawau airport, Tawau area receives an average annual rainfall of 2,025.7 mm per
year for the period of January 2003 to July 2013.
3.1.2 Topography
The site is located on an undulating terrain with Mantri hill peak at approximately 564 m
AMSL. The southern hill slopes lies within the identified mining area and continue to descent
to the valley floor near RL 200 m at the central portion. In the north-eastern section of the
land, the hill range of Mantri hill continues and descends to near RL 300 to connect to the
adjacent hills within the remaining areas of CL.105651438. See Figure 2.0.
3.1.3 Hydrology
A tributary of Sg. Mantri truncates the south-westerly dipping slopes along the south-
western part where the stream is approximately 6 m wide. This stream runs north-westerly
to eventually merge with other tributaries forming Sg. Mantri about 10 km downstream
before flowing into Sg. Kalumpang. There is another upper eastern stream that goes
through the north-easterly dipping slopes of the site and is a tributary of Sg. Tundong which
eventually flows into Sg. Kalumpang about 12 km east of the site. See Figure 1.0. Sg.
Kalumpang passes through oil palm plantations, palm oil mills and settlements before
discharging into Celebres Sea.
3.1.4 Geology
The site is underlain by the Middle to Late Miocene andesitic rock and breccias, laharib
breccias, lapilli tuffs and sedimentary rocks of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone of the
Kalumpang Formation and occasionally intruded by co-evaldacite and andesitic to dioritic
dykes. The andesite breccia is moderately sorted having a generally homogeneous clastic
composition of non-vesiculated cognate volcanic fragments and blocks. Minor fragments of
tuff, siltstone and sandstone are present in the tuffaceous matrix.
3.1.5 Soil
Based on the Soils of Sabah Map, the Mantri Block is mainly made of Wullersdorf
association with some minor Sipit association on the north-eastern part. Wullersdorf
association is typically found on mountains with intermediate and acid igneous rocks as its
parent materials. Sipit association is associated with low hills with slopes less than 15o and
the parent materials are mudstone, sandstone and miscellaneous rocks. Further details
pertaining to the soil characteristics will be elaborated in the EIA report.
3.2.1 Flora
The site was previously part of Ulu Kalumpang and Mount Wullersdorf Forest Reserves, a
Class 1 (Protection Forest Reserve) under the jurisdiction of Sabah Forestry Department
before it was excised out for the purpose of the Project. These forests are mainly
dipterocarps and non-dipterocarps forest. The dipterocarps comprise typically Cotylelobium
(eg. Resak Tempurung), Dipterocarpus (eg. Keruing), Dryobalanops (eg. Kapur),
Parashorea (eg. Urat Mata) and Shorea (eg. Selangan Batu, Seraya, Kawang and Melapi)
while the non-dipterocarps include Anthocephalus (eg. Laran) and Octomeles spp.
3.2.2 Fauna
Designated as a protected forest reserve area in the past, there are documented sightings
of wildlife such as Orang Utan, clouded leopard, Bornean sun bear, pig-tailed macaque and
Banteng. Others include common wild boar, deer, porcupine, Malay civet and monitor lizard.
Based on the Sabah Wildlife Department 2011 Orangutan Action Plan (December 2011), a
2
relative density of about 5 15 km of orangutan was reported previously within the project
area. See Figure 5.0.
However, mineral explorations works conducted onsite since year 2013 have not reported
any sightings of Orang Utan within the Mantri Block. The richness and composition of the
fauna component will be further assessed and documented in the SEIA report.
The project site is within Tawau area and hence, is under the jurisdiction of Tawau District
Office.
The site is immediately surrounded by Ulu Kalumpang (northern direction) and Mount
Wullersdorf (southern direction) Forest Reserves, a Class 1 Protection Forest Reserve
under the jurisdiction of Sabah Forestry Department. The immediate surroundings of the
forest reserves are mainly established large-scale oil palm plantations which include Ladang
Kalumpang, Ladang Sri Kunak, Ladang Sri Tanjung, Ladang Bukit Tajam, and Ladang
Balung. Tawau Hills Park, a national park is observed approximately 4 5 km south-west of
the project boundary and is separated from the site by an isolated oil palm estate, Ladang
Kalumpang. Tawau Hills Park was gazetted to protect the water catchment resources for
3
Tawau town and the Semporna peninsula and covers an area of approximately 27,972 ha .
However, the water for the park comes from a separate basin than the project site.
There are no public settlements within 5-km radius of the site except for the surrounding oil
palm plantation workers quarters. The nearest community observed is locally known as Kg.
Checkpoint located approximately 7 km south-east, at the road inter-section to Kunak
township. Others include Kg. Airport Batu 10 located about 13 km north-east, accessibly via
the existing road to Kunak township as well as Kg. Balung and Kg. Desa Quoin Hill, located
about 11 km south-west of the project site. See surrounding land use in Figure 1.0.
3
Source: www.sabahparks.org.my
Descriptions will made on the proposed site location, size and layout; mining concept;
development components and scheduling; capacity and technologies particularly on the
tailings treatment system; site selection criteria or site options; including the no project
option and proposed project activities. Emphasis will be given to those components with the
most potential for significant short and long term environmental impacts.
This section will elaborate the features of the physical, biological and socio-economic
environment relevant to the proposed Project and its associated components. A description
of the existing environment is required to provide the necessary baseline data for evaluation
of the physical, biological and socio-economic impacts and for the formulation of realistic
and practical environmental management plan and monitoring programme.
Description of the existing topographical and physical characteristics of the project site will
be made from field investigations, secondary sources such as topographical maps from the
Lands and Surveys Department, Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia, aerial
photographs and details from previous and future studies conducted by the Project
Proponent and their consultants including the preliminary mining scheme reports and
geological and hydrological report.
Description of the existing regional and site geological features and soil characteristics will
be made based on ground trothing, secondary sources such as the Soils of Sabah Map and
Geological Map of Sabah produced by the Minerals and Geoscience Department Malaysia.
These existing maps and information (including satellite images of the area, if available)
combined with field investigations and other relevant reports will be reviewed and analysed
to provide a detailed description.
Field investigations to examine existing streams and drainage system that drain the areas
as well as flood records and water catchment will be undertaken. This will include the review
of climatic conditions, specifically rainfall quantities and intensities, delineation of
catchments and determine the natural drainage pattern of the whole affected area.
Hydrological information, including stream flow, stream runoff, water uses and flood records
will be described. If the amount of water required for the mineral ore treatment process is
significant, there is also a need to carry out the water resource and environmental flow study
at the nearby river where water will be abstracted. Consultations with the Sabah State Water
Department will also be conducted to determine if there are any raw water intake points
downstream as well as water abstraction for plantation use and other sector use, especially
from Sg. Mantri and Sg. Kalumpang. These will be confirmed through ground truthing and
consultant with relevant stakeholders. These information will then be documented in the
SEIA report.
4.2.1.5 Seismicity
Tawau area is located within the Dent-Semporna Peninsula Seismic zone of Sabah, which
has the most and frequent earthquake occurrences in Sabah. However, most of the
earthquakes are centred around Lahad Datu and Kunak areas. The main cause of the
earthquake is due to local active thrust and normal faults trending North-East (NE) South-
West (SW) and North-West (NW) South East (SE) which are mainly at the Dent
Peninsular and offshore. Further information on the seismicity of the area will be obtained
through discussion with the mining consultant as well as consultation with the subject
expert, including Minerals and Geoscience Department Malaysia, Sabah.
Surface water quality sampling will be conducted for evaluation of potential impacts due to
the proposed mining activities, particularly on the discharged water quality which will enter
the onsite stream tributaries of Sg. Mantri and thereafter into Sg. Mantri downstream. Ten
(10) water samples representing water quality for upstream and downstream of the project
site prior to the actual mining activities will be carried out subject to site accessibility. The
results will be used in the water quality modelling to ascertain the extent of water pollution in
worst case scenarios. See proposed water sampling locations on Figure 6.0.
The water quality parameters proposed are based on the potential pollutant discharge or
change to the parameter as a result of the proposed project development. It also considers
the treated AMD discharge water which needs to comply with the Environmental Quality
(Industrial Effluent) Regulations 2009. Baseline level for these parameters shall be used as
comparison with future level when the project commences. The proposed parameters are as
follows:
pH Cyanide (CN)
Temperature Cadmium (Cd)
Dissolved Oxygen Chromium, Hexavalent (Cr6+)
3+
Turbidity Chromium, Trivalent (Cr )
Oil & Grease Copper (Cu)
Conductivity Iron (Fe)
Suspended Solids Lead (Pb)
Biological Oxygen Demand, BOD Nickel (Ni)
Chemical Oxygen Demand, COD Mercury (Hg)
All water samples collected by competent technicians will be sent for laboratory analysis at
SAMM accredited laboratory. The National Water Quality Standards for Malaysia (NWQSM)
would be used as a guideline in the assessment of river water quality. Comparison will also
be made with the acceptable industrial effluent discharge under the Environmental Quality
(Industrial Effluent) Regulations 2009.
A description of the ground water level in the region of the proposed Project will be
provided, based on information obtained from the geological investigations particularly at the
tailing storage areas and AMD treatment ponds. If there is groundwater detected, then
samplings shall be conducted to establish the baseline groundwater quality data for the
area. The groundwater obtained will be tested for the following parameters:
Ambient air quality will be described based on site investigations particularly on existing
source of air pollutants as well as conducting baseline ambient air quality monitoring for
Total Suspended Particulates (TSP). Considering the remote location of the project and
actual condition of the site being surrounded by existing forest vegetation, ambient air
quality sampling is only expected to be carried out at the project site and the nearest
receptors. See proposed locations in Figure 6.0.
A High Volume Sampler will be used to measure the 24-hour TSP level in the air. Results
obtained will be compared to the Malaysian Ambient Air Quality Guidelines standard.
The intensity of noise can have a direct effect on biological and human communities. The
intensity of a noise determines the distance over which it can be heard. The acceptability
(and therefore the impact) of a new noise depends on existing noise levels. Baseline noise
level monitoring will be carried out to characterize and describe existing background noise
levels at the site and document sources of noise in the vicinity. The same locations for
baseline air quality will be used for establishing the baseline noise level data. See Figure
4.1.
Measurements for Leq (average), Lmax (maximum) and Lmin (minimum) will be carried out at
the proposed locations for a period of 24-hours using a calibrated Sound Level Meter. The
prevailing atmospheric conditions and other sources of noise pollution at the time of
measurement will be recorded. In principal, noise level monitoring will avoid rainy days to
prevent interruption and data imprecision. The results obtained will be compared with the
Planning Guidelines for Environmental Noise Limits and Control in the Environment
published by the Department of Environment (DOE).
A reconnaissance survey of the biological ecosystem within and surrounding the proposed
site will be undertaken, complemented with discussions with the local government agencies,
such as the Sabah Forestry Department and Sabah Wildlife Department.
The area to be cleared for the mining development will be classified into vegetation zones
based on land use and natural vegetation types whereby detailed inventories to represent
each zone will be made. The inventories will be separated for standing trees >5 cm DBH
and for ground vegetation. All species of monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants will
be included in the inventory. The inventories will reveal presence of any high conservation
habitats or species.
Specifically, the objectives of the flora component of the study will be:
Identifying the major or most common forest or vegetation types within and around the
proposed project site;
Identifying species of plants (trees, herbs, creepers and so on) which are protected and
with significant economic and social importance worthiness of conservation;
Identifying any potential adverse impact that the Project development and operations
may have on important protected species; and
a) General Observation
During the plot survey field work, general observations will be made on the community
type, condition of the vegetation and dominant species. Surveys will be carried out by
vehicle, track and noting of the condition of the forested areas.
b) Station Enumeration
The vegetation survey will be carried out using the Soepadmo (1987) method where an
inventory plot will be setup at each identified vegetation types. GPS position at each site
will be recorded.
Sampling station will be identified and plotted in the affected project area. In every
station, a 30 m x 30 m plot will be established to measure, observe and record the flora
species within the survey stations.
The plot also will be used to enumerate diameter at breast-height (DBH) of each tree.
Information such as species name, height and girth of tree shall be recorded. Once data
is collected, total plot biomass will be estimated through calculation using formula.
Fauna surveys will be conducted by classifying the area into different zones with
considerations on topography and distances to disturbances. The presence of terrestrial
mammals will be determined through interviews with local settlements, literature review and
through a search for marks such as tracks, faeces, scratch marks and if possible, direct
sighting. Consultation will also be made with Sabah Forestry Department and Sabah Wildlife
Department on reported fauna species within Mount Wullerdorf Forest Reserve and Ulu
Kalumpang Forest Reserves. Avifauna will in addition be detected by sounds and by
catching in mist nets through binoculars. Herpetofauna will be tracked in the field and
checked against interviews and literature records. Emphasis will be to determine if there are
protected, threatened or endangered species present in the area under the Wildlife
Conservation Enactment 1997, and/ or endangered, vulnerable or near threatened species
according to IUCN Red List status to get an impression of the general health of the
ecosystem.
In particular, an assessment will be done for the aquatic fauna within the downstream river
environment in view that the treated AMD water will be discharged into the river. The aquatic
survey will cover in detailed the principal fish fauna species within the river system. Samples
will be collected at selected locations at tributary of Sg. Mantri, Sg. Mantri and other sites
deemed suitable to determine the present aquatic environment. Subsequently the study will
also evaluate the species diversity, identify the fisheries importance and assess their present
abundance in relation to the current status of the riverine environment.
This component describes the impact of the proposed Gold Mining Project on the socio-
economic parameters of the people living within and in the surrounding areas of the Project.
The purpose of this study is provide description of the demographic characteristics, socio-
economic activities and perceptions of the people living within the identified zone of impact
particularly downstream river users to assess the situation, possible environmental impact,
including their acceptance level of the Project and recommendations to minimize the adverse
socio-economic effects of the Project as well as to maximize the positive contributions of the
Project to the people in affected areas.
The scope of this social impact study will cover both the tasks of describing the existing
socio-economic conditions and assessing the possible impacts. Description of the socio-
economic aspects shall include:
This information is mostly available directly from the local authorities and local settlements in
the area and it includes road network, infrastructures available, public amenities,
communication, drinking water supply and others. This information will be used for
assessment of possible socio-economic impacts of the proposed Project.
4.2.3.2 Demography
A social survey covering nearby communities within the identified zone of impact will be
conducted. The survey will cover i.e. demographic patterns, livelihoods, education, land
tenure, land use as well as use of natural resources. Utilities available at the project site and
surrounding areas will be described based on site inspections and secondary information
from the various public and relevant government authorities including Department of
Statistics and Tawau District Office. This will include electricity supply, potable water supply
and source and public transportation and communication. The survey will interview a
representative sample of the various communities that may be affected by the Project.
This task is a necessity for a project that is classified as a Special EIA by the EPD. It
requires public views to be sought, documented and addressed in the SEIA report. For this
Project, the Consultant shall liaise with the relevant NGOs by consulting their views and
perceptions on the proposed mining project.
Forestry and plantation activities in the surrounding areas will be investigated through
information from relevant authorities and field visits. The investigations will concentrate on
whether the proposed Project will have an impact on these activities particularly from the
use of the existing roads. General livelihood condition of the surrounding settlements
together with possible Project impact on them will also be discussed and documented in the
SEIA report.
In all mining operations, there will be rock drilling and blasting works conducted at the
mining faces which can cause falling of rock boulders or fragments and sliding of unstable
blocks. These can possibly cause slope failure, if the activities are not carefully planned and
implemented. Careful planning of the mining face is necessary in order to ensure that the
cut slope is stable for ore extraction activities and workers onsite. After blasting activities,
the new mining face will be exposed and potentially unstable slope faces and hanging
boulders will need to be recognized early so that appropriate mitigation measures can be
implemented. The slope faces need to be monitored closely during development in order to
ensure stability of the slope for mining operations. Assessment on slope stability will be
made based on the slope design and phasing proposed by the mining engineer. The
potential hazards area shall be identified and measures shall be recommended to minimize
the impact.
Land clearing and site preparation activities are likely to cause an increase in soil erosion
and sedimentation of receiving waters. The likely causes will be preparatory works for the
internal access roads, mining area and infrastructures requirement. The impacts of soil
erosion will be made using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) or other models
considered suitable during the preliminary stages of the analytical work. During operation
stage of the Gold Mining Project, issue of concern would be more of water pollution and
sedimentation from the surface runoff carrying suspended solids from the exposed areas
within the site particularly the gradual opening of the mining area. Excessive sedimentation
in the waterway and subsequently downstream river of Sg. Mantri and Sg. Kalumpang can
negatively impact the aquatic lifeform in these rivers and affect raw river water abstraction
station, if any downstream. In severe cases, the intake pump suction inlets could be blocked
by accumulated sediment.
The following list out the types of wastes that will be generated from the different stages of
the Project:
Site preparation stage: biomass (vegetative) waste, solid waste, sewage, scheduled
waste.
Operation and maintenance stage: solid waste, sewage, scheduled waste, overburden,
tailings.
Opening up of vegetated areas for the mining activities including for mineral ore processing
area will generate biomass waste. See Figure 2.0 for indication of areas that will be cleared.
It is worth noting that only the necessary areas for the Mantri Mine Area, haulage roads and
processing site will be cleared and the valuable logs salvaged will be sold off. Others which
are still usable will be used for onsite construction/ upgrading of necessary infrastructures
including workers quarters, storage area, etc. The amount of biomass removal required will
be estimated with due consideration on the proposed biomass stockpile location in terms of
its suitability and management strategy. Open burning is strictly prohibited.
Mining activities generates overburden and tailings (from the mineral ore treatment plant)
which can be a source of environmental problem if not properly managed. The capacity of
the tailing storage area to accommodate the tailings generated throughout the operation of
the Gold Mining Project will be assessed together with the location suitability. The
recommended AMD treatment process will be discussed further in detail together with
literature review of its success both locally and internationally. In addition, the suitability and
capacity of the dry waste dump area to accommodate overburden materials will be
assessed including lifespan, maximum height and management method. The post-mining
rehabilitation works (most likely through hydro seeding and planting suitable trees) will also
be done on this area. Progressive rehabilitation of the dry waste dump area is
recommended throughout the lifespan of the quarry.
The maintenance of vehicles and machineries onsite can generate used oil, grease, oil
filters, batteries and others which are categorised as scheduled waste under the
Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 2005. The type of scheduled waste
produced from the mining and processing of mineral ore for this Project will be identified and
addressed accordingly in the SEIA report.
Other types of waste anticipated are solid waste and sewage generated by the onsite
workers and infrastructure construction/ upgrading activities throughout all stages of the
project. Appropriate solid waste and sewage management method for the site will be look
into to ensure minimal health impact to workers.
7.1.4 Ecology
As the project site is located in the middle of two (2) forest reserves, i.e Mount Wullersdorf
and Ulu Kalumpang Forest Reserves and in the vicinity to Tawau Hills Park, there are
concerns that the mining activities particularly land clearing and blasting activities may
impact the present flora and fauna species in the area. Mining activities, particularly blasting
will cause noise impact and vibration which can possibly affect the fauna species.
A detailed ecological study comprising terrestrial flora and fauna as well as aquatic life as
described in Section 4.2.2 will be undertaken. This include determination of any protected,
threatened or endangered species present in the area under the Wildlife Conservation
Enactment 1997, and/ or endangered, vulnerable or near threatened species according to
IUCN Red List status as well as understanding the general aquatic environment in the
rivers. Thereafter, due consideration will be incorporated for implementation of mitigation
measures to minimise the ecological impacts and for more effective and practical
conservation programmes. These may include provision of appropriate buffer zone and
excising certain areas, if necessary to ensure the overall ecological balance of the
surrounding forest reserves are intact. Consultations will be made with relevant
stakeholders including Sabah Forestry Department, Sabah Wildlife Department and Sabah
Parks to gather comments on the proposed project development and to discuss on
measures that are deemed effective and practical over the area and its surrounding forest
reserves and Tawau Hills Park, if relevant.
Abstraction of river water for the mining processing activities can potentially cause change
to the hydrological regime of the river and its tributaries, which in this case is Sg. Mantri. The
hydrological pattern of Sg. Mantri and the subsequent Sg. Kalumpang will be assessed with
emphasis given to the river system downstream of the site, particularly if there are any other
water abstraction activities downstream.
Changes to the river flow in particular base flow and environmental flow requirements;
Numerical models will be modified to include the tailing pond and mine area design
structure/ layout and its associated infrastructures. The simulations will be repeated and
then compared. This is the basis of assessment of adverse impacts. Where adverse impacts
are identified and require mitigation, the models will be used in the feasibility assessment of
mitigation options.
Hydrology
The hydrology will assess the surface flow regime changes and its impact on the receiving
river prior, during and post Project stages. The Project is expected to alter the flow regime
through the followings:
a. Construction of tailing pond which discharges into tributary of Sg. Mantri; and
b. River water abstraction for the crushing, milling and processing plant.
a. Assess the changes during high flow and low flow prior, during and post tailing pond
stages;
b. Recommend for environmental release at the downstream of the tailing pond to maintain
the downstream river function;
c. Assess the river water availability to fulfill the plant operation and the impact of river
water abstraction to the downstream water users; and
d. Derive the 1000-year ARI design flood hydrograph as input for tailing pond break
assessment.
To assess these impacts, long term streamflow data for stream tributaries within and at the
outlet the site shall be derived. However, due to unavailable recorded streamflow data for
these stream tributaries, long term streamflow shall be derived using Thornwaite and Mather
Daily Water Balance Mode. Thornwaite and Mather Daily Water Balance Mode is one of the
rainfall-runoff simulation model used for generation of daily streamflows. This modeling
approach is commonly adopted for catchments with no recorded streamflow data in the
vicinity of the catchment basin and rainfall data are more readily available.
Thornwaite and Mather (1955) have constructed a single store conceptual model to simulate
mathematically the evapotranspiration, soil moisture depletion and thereby rainfall-runoff
processes. This method has been used in developing the DIDs Water Resource Publication
No. 12 Average Annual and Monthly Surface Water Resources of Peninsular Malaysia
(DID, 1982). The derived long term streamflow shall be used to establish the daily flow
duration curve for the stream tributaries at pre and post tailing pond phases. The changes in
high and low flow shall be illustrated by the flow duration curves at pre and post tailing pond
phases.
The Sabah State Government has stipulated that the requirement for environmental flow
shall be the 90 percentile low flow. This shall be determine using the daily flow duration
curve. The flow availability assessment shall be determined using the same daily flow
duration curve.
To derive the 1000-year ARI design flood hydrograph, 1000-year design rainfall shall be
required as the input in the rainfall-runoff model. The rainfall-runoff modeling shall be carried
out using HEC-HMS (Hydrological Engineering Centre, Hydrological Modeling System), a
public domain software developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers for simulation of a
storm runoff from rainfall. The 1000-year design rainfall shall be derived by conducting the
rainfall frequency analysis using the maximum rainfall recorded at Kuhara Station, the
nearest rainfall station located 36 km south-west of the project site.
Water Quality
The water quality model to be used is QUAL2K, which was developed by the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The QUAL2K model is used for wasteload
allocations, discharge permit allocations, and other pollution evaluations. It predicts the
change in water quality as a result of the mining operations particularly on the treated runoff
potentially carrying AMD discharging offsite. QUAL2K is applicable to well mixed dendritic
streams where the major transport mechanisms of advection and dispersion are only
significant along the longitudinal axis of flow for a stream. Streamflow and input of waste
loads are considered to be constant i.e. in steady state during the simulation period. The
model can also be used to study the assimilative capacities of receiving streams and to
identify non-point waste loads.
A river is represented in the QUAL2K model as a linked group of streams and tributary
reaches (Figure 7.0) that consist of headwaters (the beginning of a stream reach) and
sequential strings of completely mixed reactors, which are referred to as computational
elements. Within each reach, all the computational elements have the same average depth,
stream slope, channel cross-section, and biological/ chemical rate constants. The QUAL2K
model calculates a flow and mass balance for each computational element.
The forcing function used for estimating transport is the stream discharge, which is assumed
to be constant. Stream velocity, cross-sectional area, and depth are computed from
streamflow. The QUAL2K model performs dissolved oxygen balance by including major
source and sink terms in the mass balance equation. The nitrogen cycle is composed of four
compartments: organic nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen, and nitrate nitrogen.
The phosphorus cycle consists of dissolved phosphorus and organic phosphorus. Ultimate
carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (cBOD) is modeled as a first order degradation
process. The major source of dissolved oxygen is algal photosynthesis and atmospheric
reaeration. QUAL2K framework includes the following new elements:
Model segmentation. QUAL2K segments the system into river reaches comprised of
equally spaced elements. In contrast, QUAL2K uses unequally-spaced reaches. In
addition, multiple loadings and abstractions can be input to any reach;
pH. Both alkalinity and total inorganic carbon are simulated. The rivers pH is then
simulated based on these two quantities; and
In order to develop a representative model for river in question which in this case is Sg.
Mantri and its tributary, ambient water quality data and hydraulic characteristics would need
to be measured on-site, albeit not throughout the entire basin. The model shall also have
upper and lower cut-off points relative to the sampling locations. It is recommended that
water samples collected be tested for all parameters coherent to the Environmental Quality
(Industrial Effluent) Regulations 2009. In-situ measurements including temperature,
dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, conductivity and pH will also be made.
Besides the abovementioned requirements, effluent discharge information will also need to
3
be sourced from the Project Proponent, including the design quality and quantity (m /s).
The prescribed scenarios to be modeled using QUAL2K is as follows:
Scenario 2 [Baseline, Low Flow]: Baseline for low flow conditions (same as Scenario 1
except with in-stream flow reduction based on historical hydraulic data (if available),
literature values or most suitable approximation.
Scenario 3 [Treatment System Failure (and/ or shock load), low flow]: Effect of treatment
system failure (raw effluent being discharged) and/ or shock loading under low flow
conditions). This is considered to be the worst-case scenario.
The possibility of tailing pond break assessment will also be conducted to assess the extent
of impact in the event of a break which will carry tailing slurry downstream affecting the
water users. The followings tailing pond break assessment will be conducted:
- To assess the probable modes of tailing pond failure and determine the pond breach
mechanism and its related engineering parameters;
Scenario (a) is to assess the damages of tailing pond due to reasons other than the rainfall,
i.e. earthquake, embankment & spillway failure, etc whilst scenario (b) and (c) are important
to assess the net damages due to the hypothetical pond break in the 1000-year scenario. It
is expected that most of the downstream area could be inundated in the 1000-year flood
even without the pond break.
FLO-2D software will be used to model the three scenarios. FLO-2D is a simulation
software capable of performing flood outing and pond breach. The true potential of FLO-2D
is the built-in Bingham Plastic Model which includes mudflow, debris flow and tailings flow.
FLO-2D originates from a software named MUDFLOW, where it was initially used by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security in 1989 to simulate mudflow in an alluvial study. Now, FLO-2D is a popular
hydraulic software, specialized in simulating mudflow and debris flow. Among remarkable
projects that adopt FLO-2D to simulate Bingham Plastic Model in the works are: Baseline
study for Rio Grande-Caballo Dam to America Dam, USACE, 2007; and Flood insurance
study of alluvial fan in Colorado by FEMA.
In tailing pond breach modeling, in-direct method is used to model the breaching with water
only (without sediment) to derive the pond breach mudflow hydrographs. There is no
equation or tailings pond breach science available at present to describe the behavior of
tailing pond breach in relation to the mud outflow from the pond. Thus, tailing pond breach
is hypothetically modeled with water initially, which shall yield a conservative breach
hydrograph. For this study, the pond breach modeling will be conducted following the
sequence below:
a. Part 1 (pond breach modeling) the analysis will be carried out under pond breach
scenario with water but without sediment; a water discharge hydrograph will be
generated;
b. Part 2 (sediment bulking) breach outflow hydrograph generated from Part 1 will be
bulked with sediment concentration to simulate tailing flow characteristics before used in
mudflow routing in Part 3; and
c. Part 3 (mudflow routing) bulked breach outflow hydrograph obtained in Part 2 will be
used for mudflow routing at pond downstream.
In generating pond break flood map, Digital Terrain Model (DTM) data of sufficient
resolution is a pre-requisite to the 2-D hydrodynamic simulation.
Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (IfSAR) is a radar technique used in geodesy and
remote sensing. This geodetic method uses two or more synthetic aperture radar (SAR)
images to generate maps of surface deformation or digital elevation using differences in the
phase of the waves returning to the satellite or aircraft. The technique can potentially apply
to large scale watershed planning and hydrology study. The proposed data resolution is 5 m
x 5 m grid with vertical accuracy (RMSE) of 1.0 m. Apart from the IfSAR data, river cross-
section survey downstream of the pond will also be acquired for the modeling purpose.
Groundwater
Groundwater is generally water that exists in the pore spaces and fractures in rock and
sediment beneath the Earths surface. Boreholes will be drilled through soil and rock at the
tailing storage and AMD treatment area to determine the underlying groundwater level. The
following field test will be performed: In-situ permeability tests; Packer tests on rock,
installation of piezometer as well as recording of water levels and collecting water samples
in the boreholes as described in Section 4.2.1.7.
The permeability (K) which is a measure of the ability of the existing rock or unconsolidated
material to allow fluids to pass through will be determined as part of the geological and
hydrological investigation study. High permeability will allow fluids to move rapidly through
rocks. Rocks will permeability significantly lower than 100 md can form efficient seals. If the
rock permeability level is high, then a groundwater modeling using appropriate model may
be necessary to predict the potential contamination to groundwater resources from the
tailings storage and AMD treatment area, i.e. leakage of liner system towards sensitive
receptors (if any). Thereafter, a groundwater management and monitoring plan will be
developed.
Others
Aside from the water pollution that is likely to occur from the tailing facility, other impacts on
water quality during development and operational stages are from:
Wastes (solid waste, effluent and wastewater) - Generally, water quality will be affected
if sewage, sullage and garbage are improperly discharged into existing rivers/ streams
leading to an increase in BOD level of the receiving water bodies and degradation to the
general aesthetic environment. The predicted load of sanitary wastewater from the
workers quarters (if any) and the developed area will be estimated. The recommended
sewage treatment system will be assessed.
Oil and Grease Increase in oil and grease in water would also be expected due to oily
wastewater discharge from workshops or vehicles service area and potential accidental
oil spillage.
Mining activity like any other land use development activities will have an effect on the
nearby water resources, if it is not manage properly. Long term effects include acid mine
drainage, which raises acid levels in rivers and lakes.
There will be assessment of downstream users and nearby waterway that may be affected
by the proposed Project. Relevant social surveys shall be carried out, coupled with
consultations with relevant stakeholders such as the local council, village head, etc. to
ascertain information on ground.
Fire
Where forested areas are converted for other development such as mining, there is
potential for fires, particularly in cleared areas where the ground is exposed and dry. The
risk is further multiplied when open burning is conducted onsite. Fire-induced loss of soil-
cover can have an adverse impact on the hydrological regimes and soil properties, and lead
to severe soil erosion and loss of productive topsoil. Besides local impact to other forested
areas particularly Mount Wullersdorf and Ulu Kalumpang Forest Reserves, fire can also
impact the other oil palm plantation in close vicinity, thus creating regional impact. Forest
fire reduces air quality and affects human health besides resulting in the loss of property
and lives, in worst case. Suitable measures will be recommended to minimise the risk of
fire.
Seismicity
The East Coast of Sabah is generally known to be a seismic active area. Thus, a general
review of the natural seismicity of the area will be conducted. Regional faults in the vicinity
will be highlighted, and their possible reactivation will be reviewed. Seismic risk assessment
will involve the worst-case scenario of an earthquake event of magnitude up to 6.5 MB. This
magnitude is equivalent to a horizontal and vertical peak ground acceleration (PGA) of
0.18g. This value will be used for the slope stability analysis for Mantri Mine Area during
and after mining activities have ceased as well as stability and safety of the tailing ponds in
case of seismic activity in close vicinity. This information will be presented later in the SEIA
report.
Public Health
Water and air pollution create long-term public health issues for some mining communities,
sometimes forcing families to spend significant amounts of their income treating chronic
asthma, skin diseases, lead poisoning, and other ailments related to the mine's impacts.
Industrial accidents involving spilled chemicals near towns can be devastating for
communities. For this Project, however, there is no community in near vicinity of the project
site, hence a public health risk assessment study will only be initiated based on the
outcome of the water quality modeling. The main focus will be to look into the health
impacts on the downstream river water users. The community health assessment will
employ the established environmental health risk assessment (EHRA) approach adopted by
the USEPA which comprises four basic steps, namely hazard identification, dose-response
relationship, exposure assessment and risk characterization, focusing on the health risk on
the affected settlements. Information and data for this EHRA will be extracted from the site
and area map, morbidity statistics from local government hospital and health clinic (Klinik
Desa) as well as socio-economic survey of the impacted communities. Based on the
assessment made, mitigating measures will be proposed for the health impacts identified.
There is growing emphasis on the need to rehabilitate mine sites that are no longer in use.
Mine rehabilitation is the process of restoring land that has been mined to its natural
conditions or economically usable state. Although the process of mine rehabilitation occurs
once mining is completed, the planning for mine reclamation occurs prior to a mine
commences. Mine rehabilitation plan should achieve the following: ensure that the site is
safe and stable; remove pollutants that are contaminating the site; restore the biodiversity
that was there before mining started; and restore waterways to what they were before
mining.
Before After
4
Rehabilitation of Golden Cross Mine site in New Zealand
Upon reaching the targeted level of +250 m AMSL at Mantri Mine Area, the project site may
be further explored or closed if no further resources are found. On another hand, the Project
may need to be withdrawn or halted (abandoned) may it be permanent or otherwise as a
result of certain circumstances. The possible causes of project abandonment are the
downturn of national economy, unforeseen management and technical problems arising
during the implementation of Project and changes in government policy on the nature of the
Project.
As such, there must be a proper closure or progressive rehabilitation plan that needs to be
implemented to ensure future use of the area. Some of the aspects that need to be
considered include slope and mining area stabilization; waste disposal area including
tailings that needs to be properly closed off to control acid mine drainage wastewater
generation; potential uses of the area in the future; etc. Procedures on removal of unwanted
and potential hazardous structures including workers quarter; rehabilitation and landscaping
requirements with appropriate local species; appropriate clean-ups and disposal of wastes
at the project site shall be documented and implemented. Among the preliminary proposal
by the Project Proponent is to convert the site into an eco-friendly resort surrounded by lush
vegetation.
Open cast mines generally produce a lot of dust from continuous overburden stripping, rock
drilling, blasting, crushing and haulage activities and exhaust fumes. The main concern
would be towards the workers working onsite particularly on their health and safety as well
as the surrounding plantation workers.
4
Golden Cross mine was a gold and silver mine in the Waitekauri Valley near Waihi at the base of the
Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand. It first operated as an underground gold mine from 1895 to 1920
before further mined by underground and open pit methods from 1991 to 1998.
The prediction of impacts due to air pollutants will be made for point and fugitive dust
emissions. These will be based on information on pollutant generation and the atmospheric
behavior of pollutants. Prediction of the dispersion of pollutants will be made using the wind
rose data obtained from the Malaysian Meteorological Services Department as well as any
air pollution control devices provided with the mining machinery. Considering the remote site
location, the use of generator sets for electricity supply is inevitable and hence, the air
pollutants generated will also be assessed. Results of the investigations will be assessed
based upon other criteria generally accepted by the DOE for ground level concentrations of
air pollutants. Criteria of health and safety applicable to human population (e.g. impacts of
fine particles on the respiratory system) will also be used for the evaluation of impacts.
Nevertheless, it is important to note that there are no kampong settlements within 5-km
radius of the project boundary apart from the surrounding oil palm plantation workers
quarters of which the closest observed based on the available topographical map is 2 km
away on the northern direction.
Mining activities produces a lot of noise from rock drilling, blasting, crushing, transportation
as well as mineral ore processing activities which include equipment such as ball mills. This
will affect the onsite workers particularly those manning the equipment if there is insufficient
provision for Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). Another concern would be on the fauna
species within and surrounding Mount Wullersdorf and Ulu Kalumpang Forest Reserves
which can be affected from the noise generated.
Noise will be predicted based on information of significant sources of noise from the mining
activities and equipment involved for acceptable rate of noise attenuation. The extent of
noise spread and the potential impact on nearby sensitive receptors will be determined.
Literature review will also be undertaken to obtain relevant information pertaining noise
effect of mining activities on mammals, particularly those reported within the Ulu Kalumpang
and Mount Wullersdorf Forest Reserves. These will be studied and assessed in the SEIA
study.
Rock blasting works and its associated activities can cause ground vibration to the
surrounding land use and may cause slope failure especially in the case of explosive
overcharging. It may also cause some rock fragments to dissipate (often referred to as
flyrock) to nearby areas and pose danger to the workers onsite as well as the surrounding
receptors including wildlife. Therefore, it is important to assess the magnitude of ground
vibration from the mining operations to ascertain its acceptability. The recommended
blasting design and control measures will be reviewed to ensure that proper blasting
procedures are implemented. These include identification of areas susceptible to flyrock
hazards, potential damage it may cause and appropriate measures shall be recommended
to minimize this impact. It is important to note that the use of explosives for the blasting
activities onsite requires prior approval from the Royal Malaysian Police.
The product to be transported from the Mantri Block is necessary and the means of
transportation can have some level of environmental implications and must be fully
described in the planning and operational stage of the mine.
Other than that, transportation of construction machinery and materials to the proposed
project site during site preparation stage is expected to exert additional pressure to the
existing traffic volume along the main road, site access and safety of public road users.
During operational stage, the transport of mineral ore concentrates out of the project site for
transport to jetty will also increase the number of heavy vehicles utilizing the existing roads.
The frequent movement of these trucks may cause congestion while at the same time dirty,
damage the existing road surface and in certain section become a potential to the forest
reserve areas. The impacts of the projected traffic flow as a result of this development and
its surrounding will be investigated accordingly and appropriate measures shall be
recommended to reduce the predicted impact.
The Project is expected to create vast employment and business opportunities to the local
people of Sabah (priority) as well as to others who possess the necessary skills and
knowledge on mining activities. The type and sector impacted will be documented in the
SEIA report. However, there is potential for shortage of labour particularly those for land
clearing and general workers. As such, an influx of outside workforce in Tawau may be
anticipated. This may give rise to social concerns particularly towards surrounding locals.
The impact to adjacent land owners, land use and economic activities from the Gold Mining
Project will be assessed and mitigation measures will be outline to minimise potential
adverse impacts.
The proposed Gold Mining Project is expected to significantly alter the landscape of the
present area which is currently vegetated with dipterocarp and non-dipterocarp forest with a
more developed setup, mining operations. A desktop assessment will be undertaken to
understand the character and quality of the landscape from existing reports as well as
topographical data. A site reconnaissance will be conducted focusing on describing the
landscape character based on the land nature and determining the visual resource through
analysis of the landscape character, quality and sense of place. Assessment will be made
based on the significance of the visual impact in terms of the sensitivity of the receptors and
the magnitude and extent of the impact. This is particularly essential when the surrounding
are two (2) main forest reserves. Thereafter, management measures shall be development
to effectively minimise the visual impacts.
Mining works in general can be a high-risk related job. This may be due to ignorance or lack
of concern for safety of workers on the workers part or the employers part. Accidents can
have several effects including death, permanent or temporary disability, minor injury and
The occupational safety and health assessment will study the work processes during the
site preparation and operation phase of the proposed Project, and assess the safety and
health impacts on the workers. In mining operations, workers are exposed to high levels of
noise and dust generation particularly from the rock drilling and blasting activities. Based on
the assessment made, suitable mitigating measures will be proposed for the identified
health impacts towards the workers onsite and general public.
The nature of environmental effect (e.g. water pollution and air pollution);
The source of impact (e.g. site preparation, mining activities and mineral ore processing
treatment process);
The nature of impact (e.g. impact on human health and water quality); and
The action or abatement measures taken to lessen the impact (e.g. silt traps, water
treatment system, etc.).
The methodologies used for the prediction of impacts are listed in Table 8.1.
Air Quality Models for air pollutant dispersion based on mass balance or the
more advanced Gaussian Plume dispersion model (if required).
Noise Mathematical models for prediction of noise at various distances
from the source. Models are available for point and line sources.
Ecology Comparative assessment of conservation status and sensitivity of
the habitat, flora and fauna. Ecological models for species diversity
and population changes. Relative importance (based on relative
density and dominance).
Transportation Traffic forecasting models traffic generation, distribution
Capacity analysis, level of service.
Occupational Comparative evaluation against guidelines.
Health & Safety
Sewerage Population Equivalent (PE).
Aesthetics Analyses of unique (physical, geological, and ecological), scenic
values, and comparative assessment with and without Project.
Judgmental assessment.
Infrastructure & Existing guidelines, factors or criteria for projection of demand for
Utilities infrastructure and utilities set by various Government authorities.
Traffic generation and flow models.
Socio-economy Perception rating based on sample assessment of population.
Identification of social issues of concern based on social survey of
the potentially affected population.
Land use Map overlay techniques; comparative evaluation against structure/
local plans.
Note: Methodologies for assessment tabulated above are not exhaustive but show those
commonly used by consultants.
The evaluation of impacts will be made based on established standards and criteria under
the Environmental Quality Act, 2012 and its subsidiary legislation. Emission limits with
respect to pollutants not defined within the Environmental Quality Act or its subsidiary
legislation will be based on values set by the DOE or such other criteria generally accepted
by the EPD (see Table 8.2).
Soil Erosion & Guidelines to Control Erosion Various sources (e.g. DOE, DOA
Sedimentation and Siltation in Malaysia, Local s& DID.
Government Act. National Water Quality Standards
for Malaysia (NWQSM) and Water
Quality Index (WQI).
Floods Urban Storm Water DID
(and drainage) Management Manual for
Malaysia (2000) by DID.
The primary objective of mitigation and control is to ensure that the impacts due to the
project implementation are minimised or within acceptable limits so as to render it
acceptable to the EPD, DOE, DID and other authorities.
Mitigation will consist of a number of related actions, many of which may consist of no more
than ensuring effective management and control of site operations. Mitigation measures can
take many forms, including the following:
Preventive to be addressed during planning stage and lease application including site
selection; exclusion of areas identified as having high environmental risks e.g. soil
erosion and flooding, provision of buffer zones, etc.
Compensatory whereby it is recognised that there will be an impact and that some
compensation for the loss is to be made. This could include a specific contribution
towards local conservation.
12.0 LIAISONS
Discussions and meetings will be held with relevant government agencies, particularly with
authorities involved in the approval of the Special EIA report such as (but not limited) to the
EPD, DOE, Sabah Forestry Department, Sabah Wildlife Department, Water Department,
Sabah Parks, Minerals and Geoscience Department Malaysia, Sabah, Lands and Surveys
Department, Department of Irrigation and Drainage, District Office, local community leaders,
and so on. The main aim of the meetings would be to determine the concerns of these
stakeholders so that these can be addressed adequately in the report.
Information, policies and guidelines should also be sourced from these various government
agencies. Discussions and meetings expected to be necessary with the various stakeholder
which include (but not limited to):
e) Sabah Parks;
k) Meteorological Department;
l) Health Department;
o) Others.
The Project Proponent and consultants including mining engineer involved in the planning
and design of the mining area will also play an active role during the Special EIA study by
supplying inputs such as the detailed description of the proposed Project concerning the
following aspects:
Mining layout plan, design specifications and construction details of the Project;
Time in Weeks
Activity
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Appointment &
Mobilisation
Submission of TOR to
EPD
Public Review
OSA Meeting
TOR Approval by EPD
Field Survey,
Monitoring, Data
Collection
Laboratory Analysis
Data analyses and
interpretation
Report Drafting
Submission of Draft
Report to Project
Proponent
Review with Project
Proponent
Submission of Final
SEIA Report to EPD
14.0 PLATES
th
Photos taken during the preliminary site assessment on 28 July 2015 at the project site
and its surrounding areas were attached herewith.