GEORGE TOWN – The downsized Penang South Island (PSI) reclamation project will not threaten the livelihoods of the state’s fishermen, Penang Infrastructure Corporation (PIC) said.
The state government’s special purpose vehicle to implement the PSI project said the fishing zone for southern Penang island's coastal fishermen was vast, up to eight nautical miles (14.8km) from the coastline.
It said it had found that local fishermen usually catch fish in areas located beyond the project site.
This was based on information from local fishermen, PIC said, and verified through a physical boat count and by using satellite images that captured the movements of fishing boats in the southern waters of Penang island.
“Claims by certain quarters that the PSI development will impact the local fisheries, fishermen, and nearby states regrettably continue to be exaggerated.
“It is illogical to claim that the reclamation of a 920ha island would wipe out the whole area’s fisheries sector. The fish and shrimp will still be in the sea, and fishing will continue,” PIC said in response to a protest by fishermen and non-governmental organisations yesterday to the revised project that will see the construction of one man-made island instead of three.
The state’s lead agency on the reclamation project said PSI was designed “with the future in mind”, which means it must be “adaptable” to climate change and other challenges that may arise.
“The project does not spell the end for any group or community.
“It is a new beginning for Penang. It is a project that will give us the opportunity to build a better and economically resilient future for the generations that come after us.”
The PSI project has been scaled down by about 49% after Putrajaya announced it would allocate federal funds for Penang’s LRT project.
The PSI project was meant to underwrite Penang’s billion-dollar transport master plan that includes the LRT, highways on the island, and an undersea tunnel from the mainland.
PIC also said that it was an exaggeration to say that a reclamation project in Penang’s waters would impact places as far as Kedah and Selangor.
It said mitigation measures would confine the impact to the project site based on the assessment provided in the approved environmental impact assessment report.
The reclamation is to be done in phases, which means the impact will only occur gradually and be controlled at the work site through continuous monitoring and careful implementation of mitigation measures such as perimeter bunds and silt curtains, under the watchful eyes of the relevant authorities.
According to PIC, the hydraulics study, which was approved by the Drainage and Irrigation Department last year, has shown that even without any rigorous implementation of mitigation measures, the sediment dispersion will be limited close to the reclaimed area.
Silt curtains that must be installed will further prevent the dispersion of sediment.
PIC said it would continuously monitor the environmental impact of the project during construction.
It added that only licensed and approved sand concessionaires would be allowed to dredge material for the reclamation.
Currently, these proposed concessions are situated some 30km away from the coast of Perak, which is more than double the distance from the stipulated eight nautical miles of the fisheries’ zone.
They are in deep waters measuring at least 50m in depth, and only a 2m layer of sand will be mined, contrary to critics’ claim that the mining of sea sand will create massive holes in the seabed.
“Therefore, we stress that claims of the PSI project impacting the waters and coastline of southern Kedah, northern Perak, and even Selangor are unfounded and without scientific basis,” it said.
PIC said PSI will also “offset” the project’s impact on marine life by “creating new habitats that boost the sustainability of the fisheries sector”.
This will include planting mangroves, building eco-friendly shorelines, releasing fish and shrimp fries, deploying artificial reefs and fish aggregating devices, and providing funds for marine-related research and others. – The Vibes, May 15, 2023
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