Ngo Rejects Chow S Assurance On Reclamation Project S Impact On Middle Bank

---

 
ProtectKarpal Singh Drive Action Committee warned that sedimentation and habitat destruction at Middle Bank are among the risks in a planned reclamation project near the Jelutong landfill. (ProtectKarpal pic)
GEORGE TOWN: An NGO says it is not convinced by Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow’s assurance that a reclamation project near the Jelutong landfill will not encroach on the ecologically sensitive Middle Bank, a sprawling mudflat off the eastern coast of Karpal Singh Drive.
Protect Karpal Singh Drive Action Committee (ProtectKarpal) chairman AD Chandrasekaran said that despite Chow’s assurance that the rich marine ecosystem at Middle Bank would not be affected by the reclamation project, scientific evidence suggests otherwise.
Chandrasekaran warned that sedimentation, habitat destruction and disrupted currents would severely damage the fragile ecosystem, which is known for its marine life and seagrass beds.
He also pointed out that Penang Institute, the state’s own think tank, had emphasised the Middle Bank’s ecological significance and the need for its protection.
“Yet, the chief minister’s stance contradicts (Penang Institute’s) own findings,” he said in a statement today.
“Even if there is no physical encroachment, the chief minister overlooks the indirect yet devastating impacts of reclamation on the ecosystem.”
Chandrasekaran said the project’s environmental impact assessment states that the project site, including the proposed reclamation area, is located at Middle Bank.
He also said the Penang Institute stated that the project, using 5.2 million cubic metres of sand to reclaim 28.3ha, is within or adjacent to Middle Bank.
In a separate statement, Sahabat Alam Malaysia backed ProtectKarpal’s call for the state to cancel the proposed reclamation, warning of pollution and marine ecosystem damage.
SAM president Meenakshi Raman said the EIA confirmed that the Jelutong landfill could be dismantled and rehabilitated without expanding the land, making reclamation unnecessary.
Meenakshi said the EIA presented three options – full closure and rehabilitation of the landfill area into a parkland, total redevelopment, or closure and waste removal.
She said landfills generate leachate, landfill gas, foul odours, and soil subsidence, all of which harm residents’ health and contribute to environmental pollution.
She also highlighted the EIA’s concerns over reclamation, including water quality deterioration from high turbidity, resuspended contaminants, oxygen depletion, nutrient release, and scum formation. - FMT

---