Penang Hill getting bad to worse

More brown, less green: Above the suburbs of Relau, with a view of Pulau Jerejak in the horizon, vegetable beds line the hilltop between Relau and Paya Terubong.

GEORGE TOWN: The clearing of land on Penang Hill is far more widespread than previously thought.

While some bald patches can be seen by the naked eye from the road at the bottom of the hill or by photographers using telephoto lenses, an aerial survey showed rampant hill clearings along the hill slope, especially in Paya Terubong.