LUMUT, May 24 — Sand dredging along Pasir Panjang beach in Teluk Senangin, Perak, which was for a flood mitigation project, will stop in a week’s time.

Lumut MP Dr Mohd Hatta Md Ramli said he was informed of the stop-work order by the Drainage and Irrigation Department during a meeting on Tuesday.

"The former state government had proposed to the department that 400,000 tonnes of sand be removed as part of a flood mitigation project but after a study by the department, the figure was slashed to 40,000 tonnes.

"The department added that since dredging began early this year, 36,000 tonnes of sand had been removed, leaving 4,000 tonnes left. They expect work can be completed in a week,” he told a news conference here today.

Also present was Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) field officer Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman, who urged the Pakatan Harapan (PH) state government to gazette the Pasir Panjang beach to enable the necessary legal enforcement.

He said the beach has been classified as "Environmentally Sensitive Area Rank One” under the National Physical Plan.

"If any activities were to be allowed, it would be only low-impact ecotourism projects or research.

"Definitely industries, logging or dredging are not suitable,” he said, pointing out that Pasir Panjang is one of the few coastal forests along the west coast of the peninsula.

He said SAM has consistently objected to sand-dredging activities in the area and had sent numerous protest letters to the former administration, which were ignored.

"We hope the new state government will be sensitive towards environmental conservation,” Meor said.

Malay Mail previously reported that Teluk Senangin was one of the landing sites for Green and Olive Ridley turtles, which are endangered species.

Both species are smaller than the leatherbacks that frequent Rantau Abang in Terengganu, and have made the west coast of the peninsula their home.

The Olive Ridley and Green turtles are often seen between March and June in Perak, Penang and Melaka, where they come to lay eggs.

Another hot-button environmental issue in Lumut is the illegal landfill at Teluk Mengkudu.

Dr Hatta said the Manjung Municipal Council had proposed a new sanitary landfill to the federal government but had yet to receive a response.

"The illegal landfill has been in operation for the past four years. I do not know how long it can last,” he said, adding that the site is as big as six football fields.

When asked to suggest a location for a sanitary landfill, Meor Razak said the authorities could consider either Beruas or Pengkalan Baharu that are relatively isolated.

"But the long-term measure is to stop using plastics and polystyrene to cut down on waste,” he said.

"Awareness among the public on the importance of recycling is still very low,” he added.