PASIR PUTEH: Waste and debris left behind by the recent floods have scarred the beauty of Pantai Tok Bali, a popular beachside destination among local and foreign tourists.
Visitors have to put up with waste – empty plastic bottles, rotten wood and dry leaves scattered in heaps along the sandy beach lined with casuarina and coconut trees.
Siti Masyitah Mohd Sekeri, 30, from Johor Baru was shocked at the condition of the beach.
She had brought her children, who were on a school break, there for a family holiday.
“It was beautiful when I came here three years ago. I was hoping that its pristine condition would have been maintained.
“But I was shocked at what I saw. There is rubbish here and there. It is most saddening,” she told Bernama.
Mohd Zulfadhli Rosley, 31, of Pengkalan Chepa, Kota Baru, said an unkempt beach would jeopardise not only tourism in Tok Bali but also the habitat of marine life.
“I am a nature lover. I love beaches and the sea. How can we maintain the cleanliness of this beach if we do not take care of it?
“I hope authorities will give serious attention to this matter and not neglect their responsibility to keep Tok Bali beach clean,” he said.
Zakaria Harun, 49, who lives nearby, said the Dec 18 floods saw waters rise to thigh level.
His family had to evacuate to a relief centre due to the rising waters.
“The heaps of waste at the beach could have been left behind by the floods. I had to clear the waste that had collected around my house,” he said.
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