New Straits Times 23 Jul 10;
KUALA LUMPUR: Sea levels off the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia will rise by 10cm to 13cm in the next 100 years, the Dewan Negara was told yesterday.
Natural Resources and Environment Deputy Minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup said the sea level at the west coast of Pulau Langkawi would rise by 10cm, while the sea off Tanjung Piai, Johor would go up by 13 cm.
He said these were the findings of study conducted by the Drainage and Irrigation Department in 2006.
"The rise in sea levels will not have a significant impact on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia," he said in reply to a question from Senator Mohd Khalid Ahmad.
Kurup said 288.4km or six per cent of the country's 4,809km coastline was being eroded by the sea.
The erosion is placed under Category One, in which economic activities and property are under threat and immediate action must be taken to rectify the problem.
He said the ministry was implementing short-term and long-term measures to deal with the problem,
"Short-term measures include carrying out engineering work and construction of erosion control structures. So far, 140km of affected coastline has been rehabilitated.
"Among the rehabilitated areas are Kemaman beach, Terengganu, Kuala Sala Kecil and Kampung Kangkung, Yan, Kedah and the Miri - Kuala Baram coastline in Sarawak."
He said for the long-term, the Drainage and Irrigation Department had implemented a plan to prevent shoreline erosion from worsening.
Sea levels rising in the peninsula, says Kurup
The Star 23 Jul 10;
KUALA LUMPUR: Sea levels off the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia will rise by 10cm to 13cm in the next 100 years, said Natural Resources and Environment Deputy Minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup.
He added that sea levels on the west coast of Pulau Langkawi would rise by 10cm while at Tanjung Piai, Johor, it is expected to increase by 13cm.
Kurup said the findings were revealed in a national coastal vulnerability index study conducted by the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) in 2006.
Checks revealed that 288.4km or 6% of the peninsula’s 4,809km-long coast is being eroded by sea water, he told Senator Mohd Khalid Ahmad.
The erosion is grouped under Category One, which states that economic activities and property are under threat and immediate action must be taken to rectify the problem, he said.
Kurup added that the ministry was implementing short-term and long-term measures in response to the problem of coastal erosion.
“Short-term measures include carrying out engineering works and construction of erosion control structures.
“So far, 140km of affected coastline have been rehabilitated. Among the areas rehabilitated are Kemaman beach (Terengganu), Kuala Sala Kecil and Kampung Kangkung, Yan (Kedah) and the Miri - Kuala Baram coastline in Sarawak,” added Kurup.
He said in the long-term, DID has implemented an integrated shoreline management plan to prevent shoreline erosion from worsening.
