Awang Tengah: Sarawak to digitalise mineral, quarrying industry to facilitate operations and enhance transparency

LAWAS (Dec 12): The Sarawak government will digitalise the mineral and quarrying industry to facilitate operations and enhance transparency in licence applications and industry player reporting.

Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said the technology would provide an integrated database, including mineral resources and geological mapping.

“This is expected to improve information sharing with stakeholders and investors, while facilitating industry performance monitoring,” he said at the launch of the Green Mining and Quarrying Academy here on Thursday.

Awang Tengah, who is also Second Minister of Urban Development and Natural Resources, said the collaboration with the Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak (Centexs) and the University of British Columbia sought to provide the necessary workforce in this field according to global standards.

He said Sarawak reaffirmed its continued commitment to emphasising the balance between economy, society, and environmental conservation in quarrying development.

This approach aligned with the Sarawak government’s efforts to contribute to environmental sustainability amid the escalating global climate crisis.

The Deputy Premier said strict regulations and laws were also being implemented by the Sarawak government towards preserving the state’s environmental sustainability.

“Through this project, the government will assess the effectiveness of technology in reducing carbon dioxide emissions, improving water and industrial waste management, and determining forms of support and incentives for companies willing to transition to green industry,” he said.

In 2024, the Sarawak government conducted a technical visit to Canada to study best practices in the mineral and quarrying industry to advance the sector, with a strong focus on sustainability.

Meanwhile, Awang Tengah said the Sarawak government required substantial allocation for mapping and identifying suitable areas for mining activities due to the state’s extensive geography.

He said technological developments and the need to produce resources for the technology itself remained largely unexplored in Sarawak.

“The mineral and quarrying industry, which was once domestic in nature, has now become one of Sarawak’s main economic sectors under the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030),” he added.

Among those present were Lawas Member of Parliament Datuk Henry Sum Agong, Batu Danau assemblyman Datuk Paulus Palu Gumbang, Bakelalan assemblyman Baru Bian, and Ministry of Natural Resources and Urban Development permanent secretary Datuk Sri Abdullah Julaihi.