DAP Penang

More coastal areas affected by serious erosion: Teh

By admin on February 4th, 2010

GEORGE TOWN (Feb 3, 2010): The assemblyman for Tanjung Bungah, where a popular stretch of beach recently suffered severe erosion due to bizarre tides, has warned that many other coastal areas in Penang face even more serious erosion.

Teh Yee Cheu said today similar geological problems had also been detected in Batu Ferringhi and Tanjung Tokong and may be caused by reclamation, but did not exclude other factors like global warming and climate change.

He was referring to a report in theSun today about a beachfront at a leading hotel where the earth had been washed away by the sea, causing its ground level to be lowered by as much as two metres, over the last month.

He said the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) was still in the process of investigating the cause of the erosion and unusual tides.

“The DID had arranged for engineers to look into the matter earlier this week,” he said.

He said, he had submitted his own report on the effects of the erosion to the state government.

“The authorities should act promptly on the matter as it is affecting Penang’s image as a tourist destination. Although erosion had been occurring for years, it appears to be more severe and unpredictable of late, with a marked difference observed in the state’s coastal hydro-flow,” he said.

“We cannot do much to turn back reclamation projects that have already started, but we can prevent further serious erosion by taking precautions such as in getting rocks and sand to protect the beaches,” Teh added.

theSun reported recently that a state commissioned study by the National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia (Nahrim) last year indicated that reclamation works had brought about significant geological changes, whch may, in turn, have led to alterations in tidal patterns in the Penang Channel and the seas around the state.

The Sun - Wed, 03 Feb 2010 by Lee Su San
http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=43107