Batu Arang, a once bustling coal-mining hub

Free Malaysia Today

Once Selangor’s second-largest town, this heritage town located in the Gombak district, thrived in the early 1900s, due to its rich coal deposits.   Written & presented by: Theevya Ragu  Shot by: Fauzi Yunus & Hizami Safri  Edited by: Selven Razz    Read More:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2024/10/27/the-forgotten-coal-mining-heritage-of-batu-arang/   Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com  Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5  Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM  Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h  Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp  Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX  Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb  Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj  Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Download FMT News App:  Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46  App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ  Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP   #FMTLifestyle #BatuArang #CoalMines

Transcript

00:00This is what's left of a nearly 100-year-old underground tunnel in Batu Arang, once Selangor's

00:28second-largest town. This is where thousands of miners searched for what was then called

00:33the black diamond, coal.

00:47Batu Arang is a quiet town in Gumba, but once upon a time it was a bustling coal mining

00:54hub. From 1915 to 1960, its 12,000-strong population and its coal mining legacy fueled

01:08the early rise of Kuala Lumpur's development. To uncover more about its past, FMT Lifestyle

01:16visited Galeri Batu Arang, once the dormitories for workers in the town's coal mines.

01:23Born and raised in Batu Arang, 63-year-old Orang Zeb Yusof, fondly known as Pat Jabar,

01:30guided us through the gallery narrating the town's rich history. He shared that geological

01:37formations in Batu Arang date back to around 33.7 million years, making its coal a prized

01:44resource. Soon after its discovery in the early 1900s, John Archibald Russell founded

01:51the Malayan Collieries Limited, marking the start of the town's mining boom.

01:57Today, unique remnants of coal mining still dot Batu Arang, such as underground tunnels

02:05and air shafts that plunge 300 meters deep. The job was fraught with danger, costing many

02:12workers their lives as they sought to unearth the dark mineral. Batu Arang also features

02:22former mine ponds that were once part of the largest coal stockpile in Peninsular Malaysia.

02:35The 1930s to 1940s was a golden era for Batu Arang, highlighted by the presence of a railway

02:41line and even an airstrip. Unfortunately, as coal demand decreased, the town slowly

02:48fell into obscurity. Rusli Muhammad Sharif, who has called this town home since 1974,

02:56shared that its quietness is just what the mainly retired folks here desire.

03:11We have been led by Kota Puteri, Tasik Puteri. We want to keep this place like this.

03:19After 8 or 9 o'clock in the morning, it's already quiet.

03:25We want our town to be known, even though it's small. That's our hope.

03:33Declared a heritage town by the Selangor State Government in 2011, and recognised as part

03:39of the Gombak Holulangat Geopark, the locals are eager to showcase their town's heritage

03:45to the world.

04:01With potential UNESCO Global Geopark status by 2028, Batu Arang might soon experience

04:07a revival reminiscent of its bustling days 100 years ago. Divya Ragu, FMT Lifestyle.

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