DECISION SUPPORT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT FOR MALAYSIAN BAUXITE MINING INDUSTRY USING ANALYTIC NETWORK PROCESS

The mining industry plays an important role in the economic development of Malaysia. However, uncontrolled mining activities have caused serious environmental impacts. Recently, bauxite mining in Kuantan, in the state of Pahang, stained fifteen kilometers of Pahang’s coastline with red arsenic particles and heavy metal pollution washed from open-pit bauxite mines into the nearby sea. This has caused potentially catastrophic damages to the ecosystem off the coast of Pahang. This triggered the Government of Malaysia to issue a temporary ban on bauxite mining while the state government engaged in expensive clean-up. Mining activities require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Environmental decisions are complex and multidisciplinary including knowledge bases which incorporate natural, physical, and social sciences, politics, and ethics. This research proposes a decision support framework that uses the Analytic Network Process (ANP) to help decision makers in EIA pertaining to the bauxite mining industry.