LAND RECLAMATION PROJECT WILL NOT AFFECT MIDDLE BANK MARINE SANCTUARY - CHOW

GEORGE TOWN, March 28 (Bernama) -- The proposed land reclamation project from the Jelutong Landfill to Karpal Singh Drive here will not affect the Middle Bank Marine Sanctuary.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said that the state government would ensure the marine areas remained unaffected by the project, which was still awaiting Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval from the Department of Environment (DoE).

“In this proposal, we ensure that it (the Middle Bank Marine Sanctuary) does not fall within the area we have identified.

“We have identified it before, and the area to be reclaimed will connect to the existing land on Karpal Singh Drive,” he told a press conference at the Komtar building here today.

He said this in response to the Karpal Singh Drive Protection Action Committee’s request for the authorities to extend the deadline for public feedback on the project and concerns over its impact on the Middle Bank Marine Sanctuary.

Spanning approximately 10 square kilometres in the South Channel between Penang Island and the mainland, the Middle Bank Marine Sanctuary is the only seagrass meadow in the Straits of Melaka and is home to 429 species, including seaweed, trees, plants, fish, and birds.

Meanwhile, Chow urged stakeholders in the state to submit their views to the developer handling the EIA public feedback so that the DoE could consider them in its evaluation of the project.

“This project involves rehabilitating the Jelutong Landfill, where all (recyclable) waste accumulated since its opening in the 1990s will be processed for recycling, while non-recyclable items will be sent to the Temporary Integrated Waste Disposal Centre in Pulau Burung, Nibong Tebal.

“Once the rehabilitation is complete, the appointed developer will acquire the land for mixed development purposes,” he said.

Elaborating, Chow said that under the agreement with the concessionaire, the state government and the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) would receive a portion of the reclaimed land.

He said the rehabilitation was expected to take five to six years but has not started yet, as it was still awaiting EIA approval.

In 2020, PDC signed an agreement with PLB Engineering Bhd to carry out the rehabilitation and development of the Jelutong Landfill at a cost of RM1 billion.

-- BERNAMA