By Vincent D’Silva

Johor Bahru : Behind every road that brings a family home and every building that rises against Johor’s skyline lies stone drawn from the earth — and a responsibility to protect the lives and landscapes surrounding its extraction.

That responsibility gave deeper meaning to the Johor Quarry Association’s (JQA) Quarrying Exhibition 2026 on Nov 5, where technological progress shared the spotlight with environmental stewardship, workplace safety and the well-being of communities.

Bringing together 11 exhibitors, quarry operators, suppliers and government representatives, the exhibition underscored a shared challenge: how to supply the foundations of development while preserving the land and maintaining harmony with those who call it home.

The occasion also recognised achievements under the Sustainable Development Indicators (SDI) framework for the 2025 assessment, with three Johor quarries attaining the highest rating of five stars.

Johor Minerals and Geoscience Department (JMG) assistant director Dr Mohd Khairul Nizam Mahmad said 33 quarries and six mines across the state had been assessed.

Besides the three five-star quarries, 18 quarries and three mines received four stars, while 11 quarries and two mines earned three stars. One quarry and one mine received two stars.

The results offered both recognition of progress and a measure of the work still required to strengthen responsible practices across the industry.

Dr Mohd Khairul Nizam said the initiative assessed operational governance, encouraged a culture of self-compliance and supported sustainability in accordance with existing laws.

The assessment encompasses six principal pillars, including legal compliance, green practices and corporate social responsibility — responsibilities that extend beyond an audit and into the daily decisions made at each operation.

He urged operators to use the findings as a benchmark for improvement, particularly in adopting green technology, protecting the environment and observing safety standard operating procedures.

Such sustained efforts, he said, were essential to keeping Johor’s mining and quarrying sectors competitive, sustainable and environmentally responsible.

For the people whose livelihoods depend on these industries, those standards carry a human significance. Safer operations concern the worker returning home at the end of a shift; environmental care concerns the quality of life of neighbouring communities.

Johor JMG director Haji Noorazhar Ngatimin said the importance of quarrying and mining to national development made it necessary to balance a stable supply of resources with environmental protection and community well-being.

Roads and buildings depend on mineral and rock resources, he said, making continuity in these sectors essential to the development agenda.

That continuity, however, must be accompanied by efforts to safeguard environmental sustainability and maintain harmonious living conditions for surrounding communities.

His address also marked an approaching change in how the industry’s sustainability performance will be assessed.

Noorazhar said 2026 would be the final year in which JMG conducted SDI assessments. From 2027, quarry and mine companies or operators would undertake the assessments through consultants they appointed.

JMG would continue to provide assistance and cooperation to support the smooth implementation of the framework.

The transition places greater responsibility on operators to sustain the practices that the rating system seeks to encourage, making accountability an enduring part of operations.

Tracing the framework’s development, Noorazhar said JMG began studying quarrying and mining operations under the 10th Malaysia Plan to ensure activities were conducted systematically and in accordance with prescribed methods and regulations.

In 2019, under the 11th Malaysia Plan, the department received RM2 million in development funding to establish the SDI sustainability rating framework.

He acknowledged the strong cooperation of JQA, companies and operators in implementing the initiative.

While the awards recognised standards already achieved, the exhibition offered a glimpse of tools that could help operators take their next steps.

JQA chairman Dato’ Sri Toh Keng Tiong thanked the 11 exhibitors for presenting their latest technologies, products and services, describing the gathering as an opportunity to improve everyday working practices.

He said exposure to new machinery and smart tools could help make quarry operations safer and more efficient.

The exhibition also provided a meeting point for operators, suppliers and government partners to exchange ideas and strengthen cooperation.

Toh encouraged participants to visit the booths, speak with exhibitors and make full use of the opportunity to learn from one another.

The programme included an opening ceremony featuring a touchscreen video, the presentation of an appreciation plaque to Noorazhar and the award of SDI certificates.

Dr Mohd Khairul Nizam presented the two- and three-star certificates, witnessed by JQA deputy chairman Song Fook Hin, while Noorazhar presented the four- and five-star certificates, witnessed by Toh.

A guided exhibition tour provided further opportunities for discussion between industry representatives and exhibitors.

Beyond the certificates and machinery, the gathering carried a lasting reminder of what responsible development demands.

The stone beneath Johor’s roads and buildings may be measured in tonnes, but the industry’s progress must also be measured in workers protected, surroundings cared for and the trust of communities preserved. Those, too, are foundations on which the state’s future rests.