GEORGE TOWN: The Penang state government, through the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, will install higher sandbags as a short-term mitigation measure to curb worsening beach erosion along the beachfront near Rasa Sayang Hotel.
State infrastructure committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said following unusually strong waves recorded last year, studies by JPS found that wave heights were about two feet higher than normal, contributing to more severe erosion in the area, including Batu Ferringhi.
“The sandbags are meant as a shortterm mitigation measure. Basic physics applies, when waves are significantly higher than usual, they can displace the sandbags and accelerate erosion,” he said.
He said that the higher-than-usual waves were linked to climatic factors beyond human control, noting that tidal conditions naturally vary from year to year.
Zairil said as an immediate response, the department will put more sandbags at a higher level to better withstand stronger waves, even if they rise by another two feet.
“This is still a short-term solution. Typically, such measures last about a year, but this time we are increasing the height in the hope it will be more resilient,” he said.
Zairil said the department is finalising designs for a long-term mitigation project, similar to works carried out several years ago near the Parkroyal Hotel area, which have since stabilised the shoreline.
He said the same approach will be extended to the Rasa Sayang stretch, adding that it should provide a permanent solution once completed.
He added that the long-term project, cost about RM60mil has been approved under the federal budget and will cover about three kilometres of coastline, including at Moonlight Bay area in Batu Feringghi.
While the final design has yet to be confirmed, Zairil said several options are being considered, including wave breakers, outfalls and beach nourishment.
“We will only know the final method once JPS Malaysia completes the detailed design,” he added.
The Star first reported visible beach erosion at Batu Ferringhi in April 2021. In 2022, about RM1mil was spent placing 700 large sandbags along a 250m stretch of beach, with an earlier RM250,000 federal allocation approved for additional sandbags.
Despite these measures, erosion has continued to worsen.
