PIC initiates ongoing monitoring and cleanup efforts at Pantai Esen

GEORGE TOWN: Penang Infrastructure Corporation Sdn Bhd (PIC) is conducting ongoing monitoring at Pantai Esen in Permatang Damar Laut, Bayan Lepas, to assess whether a mud-like substance is recurring in the area.

PIC chief executive officer Datuk Seri Farizan Darus said the observations will provide findings to professionals appointed to comprehensively address the issue.

“PIC acknowledges the community’s concerns regarding the mud-like substance detected at Pantai Esen. As a responsible corporate neighbour, we are committed to maintaining this important tourist area.

“Through the project developer Silicon Island Development Sdn Bhd, PIC has taken the initiative to mobilise a team of 10 workers to assist with the manual beach cleaning efforts carried out last Saturday,“ he said in a statement today.

He added that the team worked for five hours, collecting around 20 bags of the mud-like material, believed to be algae and that the clean-up will continue.

It is understood that the cleaning efforts were conducted twice at Pantai Esen and three times at Pantai Teluk Bayu in Teluk Kumbar.

He noted that while the clean-up is a reactive measure, PIC is also closely collaborating with environmental experts conducting thorough research to identify the root causes of this phenomenon.

“Their findings will guide the development of long-term solutions to reduce and manage the likelihood of this phenomenon recurring,” he said.

Previous media reports said Pantai Esen was covered in mud, emitting an odour, and that its waters had turned dark, which is believed to be linked to a nearby land reclamation project.

State Housing and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Seri S. Sundarajoo reportedly stated that the foreign substances causing the pollution at the beach remain unidentified.

He said initial inspections found the substance contained impurities that require further analysis, and the state government takes any pollution incidents seriously as they affect the marine ecosystem and local livelihoods.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, was reported last Thursday as saying that several samples were taken from three locations along the beach on Oct 21 for analysis.