Reclamation work should start by June, says Penang

Published by Free Malaysia Today• 11/04/2021• 06:09 pm

An artist’s impression of a seafront park at one of the Penang South Reclamation islands. (SRS Consortium pic)

PENANG: The state government is committed to implementing the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project and expects work to start in late May or early June, deputy chief minister Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman said.

He said the coastal reclamation work would begin once the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) had been approved. He expected this to be done in May.

“The Department of Environment has standard operating procedures and they are professional in their work approach.

“There is no reason for us to speculate (that the EMP will be denied),” he said at a news conference after visiting the Island A reclamation site today.

The visit covered three locations at Island A, namely where the reclamation work starts, the southernmost part and the westernmost.

The three islands are to be developed near the Penang International Airport.

He said the visit to the first location was to see the distance between the new island and the existing beach area, which is about 300m. The beach will be 4km from the southernmost location of the reclaimed island.

Under the PSR project, the state government has proposed the development of a reclaimed sea area of 1,821ha, including the creation of three man-made islands south of the Penang International Airport, in the waters of Permatang Damar Laut.