State executive councillor Zairil Khir Johari said samples had been taken from the beach for tests, Bernama reported.

Zairil, who oversees infrastructure, transport and digital matters, urged the public against jumping to conclusions, saying all parties should wait for the final lab results to be confirmed by the technical agencies involved in investigating the pollution.

His statement comes a day after fellow executive councillor S Sundarajoo said silt and mud found at Pantai Esen over the past two months may have been caused by reclamation works preventing waves from reaching the shore.

Sundarajoo, who holds the housing and environment portfolio, promised that the state government would not let the issue go unresolved. He had suggested the developer build a canal so that waves could reach Pantai Esen.

Zairil said today the reclamation works for the RM8.5 billion project complied with environment department guidelines. “Strict measures have been taken (in the reclamation work), such as the use of double-layer silt curtains,” he added.

He said Pantai Esen in Permatang Damar Laut, off Batu Maung, was naturally muddy and that algae was found floating in its waters due to a natural occurrence called an algae bloom.

“The more important question is how this bloom in algae could have occurred. Among the possible causes identified is effluent from an upstream section of a nearby river flowing into the sea. There are agricultural activities in the surrounding area and a sewage treatment plant. At the same time, a survey found that there was no algae stuck or growing in the silt curtain area.

“This indicates that the source (of the algae) is not from the Silicon Island reclamation project site,” he said.