Making catchy slogans such as ‘A Cleaner and Greener Penang’ is a task which can be easily delegated to professionals. Such a tagline looks good on billboards but is very different from reality because the Penang state government is certainly in deep waters following a media report on beach pollution stemming from pungent black effluence from the river that spread to the Batu Ferringhi beachfront. Apparently, erosion has also defaced a 50m stretch of beach, rendering it unsuitable for use. Worse still, the Department of Environment (DoE) officers are discouraging people from swimming in the waters, following suspicion that the contamination could be caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria. Such a scenario will have severe repercussions on the tourism industry in Penang.
Escherichia Coli, a bacteria found in the gut of warm-blooded animals, is an indicator of fecal contamination in fresh waters. DOE reports in the past have shown the main source of pollution identified is pollutants in the rivers’ outflow from the discharge of domestic sewage in residential areas and business premises. The presence of E-Coli in Penang waters was reported as early as 1978 by JD Owens of University of Sydney. That the problem still exists today in a worse scenario clearly shows our state government is moving backwards!
For all the hyped Competency, Accountability, and Transparency maxim preached fervently by CM Lim Guan Eng, we see the incompetence of the state in upholding and maintaining Penang. We see how there is little accountability as the state authorities have yet to provide a reasonable and accountable response. Transparency is lacking, as findings of research of beach waters off Penang have not been disclosed.
It is pointless to boast about Penang when tourists are greeted with a disgusting black patch instead of aquamarine blue seas. When tourists descend on the beaches or even many streets in Penang (evidence in Penang Watch Facebook)), they will discover to their horror, that their dream paradise island is actually a chaotic situation rubbish dump. Such a situation is because the local authorities, despite being trained by consultants (another LGE brainwave), are not vigilant in their duties.
DAP adoring fans that laud and magnify glam projects in Penang turn a blind eye to the state government’s flippancy about pollution off Batu Feringghi and coastal areas. Probably, most are scuttling around trying to get things into place for the second bridge and the proposed tunnel (which has not gone down well with Penangites at all).
Until now, the authorities concerned have not put up notices around the area warning tourists about the danger nor have they assigned guards to make sure tourists stay off the beach. They have also not advised sports operators to avoid the waters for now. Such a lackadaisical attitude clearly shows their misplaced priorities and lack of concern for the well-being of Penangites and visitors. The NST report noted the presence of a DID automatic water quality monitoring system, which looked abandoned as the equipment was rusty and overgrown. Competent?
According to a research on Marine Pollution at Northeast of Penang Island (http://tinyurl.com/huan168 ) in 2012 by undergraduates of Universiti Teknologi Petronas:
Laboratory results show that Gurney Drive is the most polluted location compared to other sampling points as it received flows from the existing island. The highest COD was 550 mg/L recorded at Gurney Drive followed by 290 mg/L at Sg. Fetes and 187 mg/L at North Tanjung Tokong. This study shows that the marine pollution was contributed from various sources with different impacts and resulted from the discharge from the existing mainland itself. Thus, pollution input should be controlled and mitigated for better water quality in the future.
A study by P.M. Sivalingam on Ocean disposal and land reclamation problems of Penang, Malaysia in 1984 showed that “rapid development in Penang has cost it negative environmental impact to the marine zone. Marine zone of the Penang is heavily polluted due to the activities of land reclamation and the direct sewage discharge into the sea (Sivalingam, 1984). This study illustrates how improperly treated sewage and waste from the hinterland contributes to the polluted coastal waters.”
Forget all the sugarcoated words so easily spewed from the mouths of state leaders. Penang is definitely suffering from environmental degradation – a price we all have to pay due to rapid overdevelopment so eagerly promoted by the current state government who will never admit that we have low water quality in rivers and sea, mudflats, destruction of mangrove forests and water catchment areas. Hence, the fishermen suffer from dwindling catches. Now, we face solid evidence of the deterioration of healthy ecosystem off Penang beaches.
For crying aloud, I am not against development but any development must be carefully monitored to ensure the environment and the lives of local residents are not adversely affected.
Has the state government seriously enforced the Environmental Quality Act 1974? Have they bothered to read the Penang DOE annual report for 2011, which revealed that 10 out of 24 rivers in the seven river basins in the state are classified as polluted? That report revealed how most rivers and the sea in Penang are polluted by industrial effluents, sewage and rubbish threatening at least 40 species of river and marine life.
Some may dismiss this situation as a one off situation without realizing this is just the tip of the iceberg of horrors. The DOE report on marine water quality found highest readings of Escherichia Coli in Kuala Sungai Pinang (Jelutong), Kuala Sungai Pinang (Balik Pulau), Kuala Sungai Prai and Kuala Sungai Juru.
The state government owes it to Penangites to restore Penang to its former state of beauty and splendor. The Pearl of the Orient lost its glow long ago and the state government is still preening its feathers in its own la-la land of dollars and cents, blind and apathetic to the cries of Mother Nature and Penangites. Don’t make promises if you have no intention of keeping them! Time to wake up before you are kicked out in the next GE!
BY,
Datuk Huan Cheng Guan
President, Centre for Political Awareness
@MyCPAM
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