Man-made island to save Tanjung Piai

New Straits Times 17 May 09;

PONTIAN: The state government is considering building a man-made island off Tanjung Piai, at the southernmost tip of mainland Asia which is experiencing coastal erosion.

Covering a few hundred hectares, it would serve as a wave breaker that would help reduce erosion from the constant pounding of waves.

The proposal was timely as previous smaller-sized wave breakers had been destroyed by the strong waves, and this had failed to protect Tanjung Piai's coast.

Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the island was an alternative being considered to protect Tanjung Piai from further erosion.

"The waters around here have a depth that make it very suitable for shipping and shipping-related projects. Tanjung Bin island for instance, is being developed into a petroleum hub.

"Jetties will be needed for ships to berth, therefore the proposed wave breaker could fulfil some other purpose beside protecting Tanjung Piai from erosion," he said.

He said planting mangrove trees at Tanjung Piai would not solve the problem as the waves had uprooted mature mangrove trees lining the coast which led to more damage to the exposed land.

Ghani lauded the move by Malakoff Berhad to plant 9,300 mangrove trees in a 4ha area around the Tanjung Bin power plant.

"Some mangrove had to be removed during the development of the power plant and other projects, thus it is very fitting for the company to maintain the balance of nature by replanting the mangroves," he said.