Halt sand dredging and mining in Tanjung Bungah: CAP

GEORGE TOWN: The Consumers Association Of Penang (CAP) and Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) today urged the DAP-led Penang state government to immediately halt sand dredging and mining at the estuaries of Sungai Kelian and Sungai Kechil in Tanjung Bungah, here.
CAP and SAM president S. M Mohamed Idris said such activities were destroying the beaches and the coastline in the areas concerned.
"The removal of sand from a highly populated part of Penang i destroying the beach environment there. Beautifying the beach in a hotel stretch of beach in another part of Penang is like 'robbing Peter to pay Paul'.
"This is unethical, immoral and worthy of strong condemnation," he said in statement, here.
The state government should also reveal if an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study was done for sand dredging and mining in Tanjung Bungah and what the results were.
The Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) should immediately halt sand dredging and mining works along the beaches and seas in Penang until further notice.
Mohamed Idris said the state government and the DID should reveal what other plans or actions they have for sand dredging and mining and allow the public to scrutinise and make comments.
"Until then, all sand dredging and mining activities in Penang must stop. The sand that was dredged and mined from the beaches in Tanjung Bungah should be put back so that the original state of the environment there is restored." — Bernama