LABUAN: More than 20 beaches in this duty-free-island are facing erosion with two in critical condition.
Labuan Irrigation and Drainage Department director Juniaddi Awang Tuah said one of the two was at Kampung Sungai Miri/Sungai Pagar and the other was the Labuan Crude Oil Terminal (LCOT) Kiamsam beach.
“Based on a national coastal erosion study conducted in 2015, which is still relevant today, more than 20 coastal areas were projected to be hit by erosion. The study had predicted that the hardest-hit areas will be at the Sungai Miri beach and Kiamsam,” he told Bernama yesterday.
He said the government had approved RM11mil for the construction of a sea wall at the worst affected parts of Sungai Miri/Sungai Pagar beach.
“The 730m sea wall project started in November last year and is to be completed in two years’ time. As for the LCOT beach, we have provided technical advice to the oil company to do something about the matter,” he added.
He said the coast around Labuan is projected to be badly affected by erosion if no mitigation measures are taken to reduce the impact.
“In addition, measures by the government to minimise the damage are expected to get more costly,” he said.
Juniaddi said the two beaches (Sungai Miri/Sungai Pagar and LCOT) were the worst affected because they face the open South China Sea.
He also said his department had applied to the Environment and Water Ministry for an allocation of RM20mil for coastal protection infrastructure at the Tanjug Aru Nelayan beach.
