Attempts to highlight noise and dust pollution from a reclamation project there have failed to produce any results.
They claim that continual reclamation works by heavy machines throughout the day and into extremely late hours of the night and in the early morning at the shore facing the isle of Pulau Jerejak have left people in the area, which is also known as Queensbay, feeling demoralised and disappointed with the authorities.
Suchitra Chakrabarty, an engineer who stays with her family at Baystar Condominium just metres away from the reclamation, questioned how a project that causes such a high level of disturbance was approved without any prior feedback being solicited from residents in near proximity.
“We were not asked about this beforehand,” she said at a press conference at the site. “Nobody asked for our opinion and suddenly the project began.
“The loud noise is disturbing us all the time. There is also a lot of pollution and dust from the site. We have to keep our windows closed,” she said, adding that people suffered frequent sore throats and physical irritation.
She also aired concerns about environmental impact as the strip of water between Penang island and Pulau Jerejak is narrow.
“Why would they choose to build there at the cost of our environment?” Suchitra asked, pointing to the tonnes of sand and dirt that she has seen being dumped into the sea.
“How was this approved? Isn’t Penang supposed to be cleaner, greener, and have less pollution and less over-development?”
She expressed disappointment at the lack of proper response from the authorities.
“Nobody seems to be on our side,” she said, adding that the residents will vent their disappointment when voting in the next elections.
Another resident, S Geeta, who also lives at Baystar said there has been no reply from the Penang Island City Council to her official complaint except for an automated response in January from its Corporate Communications and Public Relations Department.
She said the matter has also been aired to Deputy Chief Minister (II) Rashid Hasnon who is the state assemblyman of Pantai Jerejak but there has been no effective response.
Hundreds of residents of Bayan Bay held a demonstration in October 2011 to object to any reclamation along the sea there.
There are at least six condominiums and residences — Putra Marine Resort, Gold Coast Resort, Bay Garden, Bay Star, Putra Place Condominiums and Villa Emas — comprising about 2,000 residential units.
Environmental activist Ang Eng Bok, who was also present at the press conference today, said Penangites need to be more aware about the lasting ecological and social impacts of reclaiming the seas.
Ang is the co-organiser of the Gertak Sanggul Art Festival held on the southern coast of Penang island to raise awareness about the area’s natural attributes after a mega-reclamation plan to create giant artificial islands there was unveiled as part of the Penang Transport Masterplan by the state government last year.
“Everyone in Penang should be concerned about the effect of reclamation and take a stand on the matter,” he said, stressing that Penang should not necessarily go the way of cities like Hong Kong and Singapore in its development. “Once a sea is reclaimed there is no bringing it back,” he said.