ONLINE NEWS: MORE MARINE PLANTS CAN SAVE BATU FERRINGHI BEACH, SAYS EXPERT
Predeep Nambiar -August 1, 2022 8:00 AM
GEORGE TOWN: A marine expert believes that the path to saving Batu Ferringhi beach from further erosion lies in marine plants and more independent studies on water flow.
This follows a collective panic by residents and tourists who saw strong waves “eating up” an entire stretch of Penang’s prized beachfront.
Marine expert Zulfigar Yasin of Universiti Sains Malaysia said a comprehensive sedimentation and hydrology survey should be carried out, starting from the shore and later expanding in an outward radius.
“The issue with the current studies available is that it is not in scale, you can’t point to the cause and effect of eroding coastlines.
“So, what we have today are assumptions. We can point to reclamation or natural causes. But we really can’t say why a certain stretch – in this case, Batu Ferringhi beach – has had its shores eaten up,” he told FMT.
In the short term, he said, the state government should carry out the planting of vegetation to anchor the sand in place and stave off further erosion.
The planting of seagrass and mangroves, coupled with environmentally-friendly coastal development, could help.
“Seagrass beds or any planting of marine plants like the ones found around Penang’s Middle Bank has helped reduce erosion,” he said.
Zulfigar said the disappearing beach was caused by a cycle, which was made worse by climate change and coastal development.
He said it was crucial to conduct a study into where the coastal sand was being carried to and deposited.
He said available studies on the sea and coastal-related matters were large-scale ones that covered the oceans surrounding Penang and were never specific to localised areas, such as Batu Ferringhi or Tanjung Bungah.
“A more localised study, done incrementally but comprehensively, will help us find ways to mitigate our disappearing coasts and how to adapt to our ever-changing climate,” he said.
Coastal research funded by developers
Zulfigar said the currently available hydrology research concerning the sea or even the shore was being carried out by consultants engaged by developers.
He said this carried an ethical dilemma, as many questioned the fairness and independence of such consultants who were on the developers’ payroll.
“We have a problem where EIAs (environmental impact assessments) are often done by project proponents, where you can expect them to say that all is okay,” he said.
He said the federal department of the environment should set up a trust fund, administered by independent parties, to commission studies related to the environment.
“The funds need not come from the government, but can be pooled from developers the same way drainage fees are collected from developers to support and expand drainage infrastructure,” he said.
The Penang government had recently said a 242m stretch of the Batu Ferringhi beach was being fixed in phases.
- Source from Free Malaysia Today
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