KOTA BHARU: The Kelantan Department of Environment (DOE) will closely monitor gold panning activities across the state in line with approvals granted by the state government, to ensure environmental sustainability is not compromised.
Its director, Wan Aminordin Wan Kamaruddin, said monitoring will be carried out through periodic joint operations involving multiple enforcement agencies responsible for overseeing such activities.
He noted that traditional gold panning methods that do not involve the use of pumps or heavy machinery pose minimal risk to the environment, particularly in terms of water pollution and land degradation.
“As long as panning is conducted manually without pumps, the environmental impact remains low. Nevertheless, continuous monitoring is necessary to prevent any violations,” he told reporters after officiating the closing ceremony of the integrated ‘Ops Gerak Kenderaan Motor’ operation held in conjunction with World Ozone Day 2025.