Trees topple as Penang’s northern coastline retreats, locals call for urgent action to curb erosion

GEORGE TOWN, Jan 27 — Penang’s northern coastline is facing fresh challenges as spring tides continue to batter beaches, uprooting trees and worsening erosion between Batu Ferringhi and Tanjung Bungah.

Spring tides, which occur when the sun, moon, and Earth align to produce higher-than-usual high tides, have allowed waves to reach further inland, accelerating damage to the shore.

At least five seaside trees have been reported downed this week, adding to the Casuarina trees lost since last Friday that had stood since the 1950s, The Star reported today.

“If no action is taken now, the problem will only worsen in the coming months,” a local beach resort’s communication director, Datuk Suleiman Tunku Abdul Rahman, was quoted as saying.

He added that foreign visitors had taken photos and videos of fallen trees and eroded beaches, affecting Batu Ferringhi’s reputation as a tourism hub. 

“Within our property, we are replanting and enhancing green spaces, as our gardens are a key reason many tourists return,” he was quoted as saying.

State infrastructure committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said several coastal erosion “hotspots” had been identified, noting that survey works for the RM61 million Batu Ferringhi and Tanjung Bungah Coastal Outfall and Erosion Prevention Structures Project were completed last December.

“Physical works will commence once the detailed design plan is completed and short-term interim works are being applied for under federal funding this year to mitigate erosion at several affected areas,” he was quoted as saying yesterday.

Sahabat Alam Malaysia president Meenakshi Raman said erosion was now hitting Tanjung Bungah, with residents feeling the impact. 

“We have raised this issue for years, yet the effects of mitigation measures are not apparent,” she was quoted as saying.

Zulfikar Abdul Aziz, chairman of the Tanjung Bungah Residents Association, urged urgent action. 

“The sea is edging closer to hotels and residential areas, and many trees are at risk of falling or have already been uprooted,” he was quoted as saying.