Ever since bauxite mining became rampant, Kuantanites complained of banjir lumpur (English: mudslides) every time it rained (because of soil erosion) and the sea near Kuantan Port will change colour.
A professor from the National University of Malaysia (UKM) compared the results from a water test of the sea to standards set by the World Nuclear Association and confirmed the water was contaminated with heavy metals, and more shockingly they also detected early stages of radiation. He also said that the nutrient-rich content would trigger a bloom of harmful microalgae, causing marine life that eat the toxic stuff to be contaminated too.
Read more at: http://cilisos.my/why-is-kuantan-turning-all-red-like-mars/