Malaysian Nature Society suggests mangrove trees for Gurney Drive instead of reclamation

Aaron Ngui The Sun Daily 14 Dec 11;

GEORGE TOWN (Dec 13, 2011): The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) does not agree with suggestions that the Gurney Drive shoreline be reclaimed, to overcome the siltation and mud build-up at the area.

Its Penang branch advisor D. Kanda Kumar told theSun that planting mangrove trees was a simple and low-tech way to tackle the matter, emphasising that mud build-up along the shoreline was a natural occurrence.

He said the area could be turned into a mangrove forest reserve which could become a tourist attraction.

"The forest will be a natural shelter for birds and other wildlife as well as attracting fish back into the area," he said when asked to comment on the statement by the Penang Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) that reclamation was the solution to stop the build-up of mud along the shoreline of the popular tourist attraction.

"Reclamation is not the solution," he said, adding that any future reclamation should be put on hold until a proper master plan on reclamation in Penang is conducted.

Kanda also called on the authorities to gazette the area as a reserve once the mangrove trees were planted to protect the area for the future.

State DID deputy director Mohd Abu Bakar Othman told a forum on Tuesday that reclamation would allow currents to go smoothly along the curvature of the reclaimed beach.

If the proposal is carried out, an area estimated to be as big as 97ha may be reclaimed along the popular coastal stretch.

Mohd Abu Bakar said the build-up of mud and silt at the Gurney Drive shoreline was due to weak sea currents caused by major reclamation at the nearby Seri Tanjung Pinang residential and commercial project, and pollution due to the 2004 tsunami.

Meanwhile, the state government is mulling over proposals by companies interested in collecting mud from Gurney Drive and other areas like Kuala Muda in Seberang Perai, for the purpose of making bricks for the construction industry.

State Environment committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said local companies, as well as Japanese and Chinese companies, have expressed their interest.

Although he conceded that collecting the mud would be a temporary solution, Phee said that the mud would have to be removed anyway if reclamation was approved for Gurney Drive.

He, however, added any decision to reclaim land in the area would only be made when a comprehensive hydro-flow plan for the state was completed.

"With the plan, we will know where to reclaim and where not to reclaim," he said when contacted.

theSun reported in September that the state is formulating a comprehensive hydro-flow plan as a reference for future reclamation works.