FWD: Victim of its own beauty

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This article is from thestar.com.my

URL:

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2002/11/19/features/liisland1 & se\

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Tuesday, November 19, 2002

Victim of its own beauty

By TAN CHENG LI

 

WHEN visitor season on Pulau Redang opens again sometime in March with the end

of the monsoon, those who have been there before will notice a drastically

transformed landscape. First, planes might be landing and taking off from the

island as the new airstrip is nearing completion.

 

As one approaches Pasir Panjang, the longest and most beautiful stretch of

beach on the island, a new resort, instead of blending naturally into the

surroundings, stands out incongruously – the 212-room Laguna Redang Island

Resort. Not to be outdone, other resorts down the beach have also expanded;

rooms and dining halls have been added during the monsoon.

 

<a

href= " http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2002/11/19/features/liisla\

nd2 & sec=features " >Related article: Ecosystem in jeopardy</a> <p>

Over at Teluk Dalam on the northern coast of Redang, the Berjaya Redang Beach

Resort now offers cliffside rooms in addition to its existing beach villas.

 

Wide publicity on the beauty of the marine park has prompted an influx of

people, boats and more resorts on Redang. Eleven years ago, there was not a

single resort on the island. Visitors had to camp, the favoured beaches being

Teluk Kalong Kecil, Teluk Kalong Besar and Pasir Panjang. All three beaches and

others on the east coast of the island are now crowded with 13 resorts – and

people.

 

 

 

A total of 63,000 tourists flocked to Redang this year, double that of 1995.

Figures are believed to be higher as many visitors do not register at the Marine

Park Centre at Pulau Pinang, one of the nine islands which make up the Redang

Archipelago. And where there are people, there will be rubbish, sewage and

environmental degradation.

 

Redang is slowly losing its lustre. Even the resort owners are concerned. For

years they were only interested in filling up their rooms, but now they have

come to realise that additional crowds, particularly on Pasir Panjang which

stretches no more than 1km, may kill the goose that lays the golden egg. During

peak season, the crowd there can swell to some 3,000.

 

Sure, first-time visitors leave awed by the crystal-clear sea, sandy beaches

and colourful corals. But those who saw Redang 10 years ago say the reefs are

steadily deteriorating. “It is definitely not as colourful as before. There is

less fish too,” says Liew Hock Chark, a marine biologist with University College

of Science and Technology Malaysia (better known by its Bahasa Malaysia acronym

KUSTEM) in Kuala Terengganu.

 

T.C. Lim, a banker from Kuala Lumpur, used to see 20 to 30 humphead wrasses

feeding in the west side of Pasir Panjang beach in the evenings. “Last year, I

saw only one.”

 

At dive sites, water clarity has dived. The submerged reef known as Batu Isa

used to be my favourite spot because of its colourful corals. A recent dive

there revealed a drab seascape dotted with coral skeleton, many smothered with

algae. Lush gorgonian corals were nowhere to be found.

 

The worst devastation, however, occurs in shallow water reefs. It is not

uncommon to see a hundred snorkellers leaping onto one small patch of reef.

Reefs have been reduced to rubble by snorkellers who trample on corals.

 

 

 

“Many snorkelling sites are gone. Sometimes we don’t even know where to take

visitors,” admits Yap Chuan Bin, manager of Ayu Mayang Resort. Yap no longer

hears the chirps of flowerpeckers on the trees fronting his resort. “We’ve never

had any problems with mosquitoes but between March and June, you could be eaten

alive. Perhaps it’s because there are fewer frogs now.”

 

Litter mars the beach and reefs. Strolling along 400m of the Pasir Panjang

beach one afternoon, Malaysian Nature Society executive officer Andrew Sebastian

picked up 35 aluminium cans, six plastic containers and 12 glass bottles. And

mind you, it was during the low-tourist season in mid-October.

 

Dirty discharges

 

Broken corals and trash are just the tip of Redang’s mountain of woes.

Potentially more destructive is the eutrophication of coastal waters which

occurs when excessive nutrients – from sewage or phosphates from detergents –

enter the water. This will fuel growth of algae which attach themselves to coral

and eventually choke the reef. An algae bloom can also deny vital sunlight to

underwater plants.

 

A coral reef is only as healthy as the water around it. Most resorts on Redang

rely on simple septic tanks. During the peak tourist season when resorts are

packed, chances are the wastewater will exceed the capacity of treatment

systems, says Rahim Gor Yaman, head of the Terengganu marine parks unit. “So

whatever goes into the system will not be fully treated and will end up in the

sea.” It is no wonder than that coral reefs fronting resorts, near streams and

near points of discharges are not as healthy as those at Pulau Lima which has no

resorts.

 

The quality of water off Redang has deteriorated over the years, according to

the Terengganu Department of Environment (DOE). Traces of E-coli (found in

sewage) were detected but the most persistent pollutants were oil and grease,

probably from the increased number of tourist boats.

 

These are tell-tale signs that Redang may have reached – or even exceeded – its

carrying capacity. Another strong indicator is that of a looming water shortage.

Although treated water is piped from the mainland to the island via a 40km

pipeline, it only serves the local village and the Berjaya Resort at Teluk

Dalam. Ironically, water is piped across the sea but not over the mountain to

reach beaches on the east coast of Redang.

 

While some beaches are blessed with clear streams, Pasir Panjang is not.

Resorts there rely on tube wells for water. As visitor number grew, supply can

run short. It almost did last year during a two-month drought.

 

 

 

“The water level in my tube well dropped to 8m below the ground surface. It is

usually only 2m below,” reveals Tan Kok Teong, owner of Redang Holiday Beach

Villa. He is worried about the effect of the new 212-room resort on water

supply. “It will create a problem for all of us when they start pumping water.”

 

Over the years, well water in some spots has turned brackish, perhaps because

of excessive pumping. “The smell of sulphur in the water gets stronger each

time I visit the island,” says banker Lim. “This indicates that we are tapping

at the very low end of the water-table.”

 

During the dry months of August and September, water pumped from the ground at

Pasir Panjang smells foul, according to Rahim. This may be the resort operators’

own doing. “For years, they have been burying and burning garbage. Polluting

liquids from decomposing trash may have leached into the water-table,” says

Rahim.

 

Some resort operators now ship in water from the mainland for drinking and use

ground water only for washing purposes during peak tourist season.

 

Piping in more freshwater from the mainland will introduce new problems. Marine

biologist Liew says more wastewater will be discharged into the sea, and instead

of coming via streams or filtration in the ground, it will now come from

drainage pipes. “The quality of runoffs is different and this can affect coral

reefs which are accustomed to a delicately balanced marine environment.”

 

People pressure

 

In 1997, WWF released a report highlighting worsening pollution off Pasir

Panjang and the jetty of Pulau Pinang. Data collected from 1991 to 1996 showed

increased contamination from sediments, sewage, garbage, oil, heavy metals and

detergent residues. It also found that small-scale resorts can collectively be

as damaging as a big one. WWF stopped monitoring after that but the pollution

could only have gotten worse since development has picked up there – with scant

regard for the environment.

 

The Department of Fisheries (DOF) has no say over how the island is developed

since its jurisdiction is confined to two nautical miles of sea surrounding the

island. That’s the only area gazetted as a marine park. The island itself

belongs to the state government, which clearly views Redang as another potential

Tioman or Langkawi.

 

Since what happens on land affects the sea, land development should be minimal

or carried out with utmost care. However, government agencies have not

scrutinised development on Redang as closely as they should. Planning is

piecemeal and enforcement is lax. The same old excuses are heard: lack of

manpower, poor understanding of ecological issues and too many other matters to

attend to. In fact, Redang was no man’s land for years. Because it was not

declared an area under the Kuala Terengganu Municipality until 1994, the council

did not exert any jurisdiction over it.

 

Furthermore, approvals for projects are splayed over several authorities with

specific jurisdiction over land, water, sewage, state economy, town planning and

environment. Poor co-ordination means that one agency approves a project despite

reservation by another agency.

 

The island’s remoteness does not help. “It is far, and we don’t have a boat,”

says Terengganu DOE director Hassan Mat. In reality, there are now fast boats

which can reach the island in just over an hour.

 

As a result, resort operators have had a free hand. Sources say structures

come up even before building plans are approved. It seems only one resort on the

island has received a certificate of fitness. Most were built without undergoing

Environmental Impact Assessments. They eventually did after being ordered by DOE

but it seems a futile exercise since the resorts were already up.

 

The result: haphazard development with little heed paid to proper waste

disposal, building layout, drainage and water supply, among others. In some

cases, chalets are squeezed into tiny plots of land. One owner says a

neighbouring resort even encroached into his property. For those seeking a

reclusive, quiet holiday, Redang may no longer be it.

 

There are beach parties in the evenings as well as karaoke and dance bars on

the beach. Without proper buffers in between resorts, noise pollution has

worsened. Yap of Ayu Mayang Resort says he has had guests checking out in the

middle of the night because of the din of mahjong sessions coming from the next

resort.

 

Ignored guidelines

 

The sad thing is, there is no shortage of guidelines on how to develop islands.

The Town and Country Planning Department has issued booklets and reports on

this. In 1996, then Mentri Besar Tan Sri Wan Mokhtar Ahmad said that the

guidelines would be adhered to. Unfortunately, the guidelines appear to exist on

paper only as evident in Redang.

 

Structures are built on rocky coastlines despite the required setback of 60m.

Resorts exceed the stipulated density of five rooms per acre (0.4ha). The height

of some buildings exceeds the stipulated 9m or the tallest tree at the site and

buildings sit on slopes of over 20 degrees gradient.

 

Early this month, a bulldozer was seen scooping fine beach sand for building

purposes, again violating guidelines.

 

“The resort operators violate almost every law,” admits DOE’s Hassan.

Closing them down is obviously out of the question since they do contribute to

the state economy. The next best thing is to scrutinise the activities of the

operators, and perhaps curb more projects on the island.

 

Various quarters concede that it is time to relook the development of Redang.

“The very fact that the marine water quality has deteriorated and water supply

is a problem indicate that Pasir Panjang is already overpopulated,” asserts a

DOE officer.

 

In 1996, the state government announced that it would not allow any more

development on the island. That, of course, was not followed through.

 

Concerned resort operators Yap and Tan estimate that with the completion of the

new resorts and expansion of existing ones, Redang may host as many as 5,000

tourists each day. And that’s excluding resort staff. A Universiti Pertanian

Malaysia study in 1986 recommended a carrying capacity not exceeding 350 people.

 

Interestingly enough, a report by the Department of Town and Country Planning

puts a figure of 46,200 people. But that figure is based on the availability of

facilities and physical capacity and not on the ecology of the marine habitat.

 

Kustem’s Liew urges for a study on the carrying capacity of the island.

“Further development should be stopped until a study is done to determine if the

island can take any more chalets.”

 

There is reason to be wary. Berjaya owns another 20.18ha of land at Teluk Dalam

Besar. A 1997 EIA stated the project as comprising 20 bungalows and 16 blocks of

four-storey buildings comprising 438 rooms.

 

Laguna Redang Island Resort has another 4.4ha as yet undeveloped.

 

The authorities have to maintain vigil as there are always attempts to sneak in

a resort. Last year, a new resort almost came up on Pulau Ekor Tebu, an islet

within the Redang Archipelago. DOF managed to stop the project only because the

developer had built a concrete landing platform which encroached into marine

park waters and damaged shallow water reefs. Without the platform, the developer

could not land his building material. But he did not give up. He has instead,

built his resort on another beach, Teluk Kalong Besar.

 

The island needs a masterplan badly to deal with water quality, visitor

numbers, boating activities, and types of development. The sad thing is, the

various problems related to developing Redang were foreseen even 10 years ago

when DOF drew up an island management plan, but which was never implemented.

 

The department had also commissioned several studies with recommendations. The

Malaysian Nature Society completed its Landuse and Management Guidelines on

Redang State Park in 1990, in which it recommended zoning for different uses,

low-density tourism, garbage and sewage disposal facilities, EIAs on land-use

and a water management plan, among others.

 

The Marine Park Island Conceptual Plan by the World Wide Fund for Nature

Malaysia in 1994 made similar recommendations. But all these were ignored.

 

Finally, some action

 

The situation is depressing but not entirely hopeless. The state government has

revived a committee which looks at development on beaches and marine parks. The

Kuala Terengganu Municipal Council recently gave resort operators three months

to reply to queries on building plans. It also instructed resort owners to use

the service of a contractor to ship trash to the mainland. The barge comes every

two days and collection fees are based on the number of rooms. It works out to

RM2,000 a month for a 60-room resort.

 

DOE has given resort operators until March to upgrade their sewage treatment

systems to comply with more stringent discharge standards. It is also

discouraging the discharge of treated effluent into the sea. Last year, Berjaya

resort took up a DOE suggestion to channel treated sewage effluent to a pond and

reuse the water for its garden.

 

Resort operators have also formed the Redang Operators Association, with 12 out

of 18 operators agreeing to be members. Yap, who is deputy chairman of the

protem committee, says the association hopes to be involved in conservation and

public awareness projects.

 

One may question the operators’ sudden concern over marine conservation after

years of disregard. Are their concerns truly tied to conservation, or the threat

of competition from new resorts or to safeguard their interests in view of the

authorities’ clampdown?

 

Whatever the reasons, the formation of an association is a right move. It is

high time the operators practised some form of self-regulation and be involved

in preserving the island and its marine heritage.

 

To save Redang’s reefs, everyone must get the conservation message, and soon.

Most tourists say they were not briefed by operators on the do’s and don’ts in a

marine park, such as no stepping on corals or collection of corals. In fact,

most resorts have corals on display; some even use giant clam shells as

ashtrays!

 

Ultimately, healthy reefs and healthy tourism are interdependent. Fortunately,

the resort operators seem to realise this. “If nothing is done in the next five

years, there may be nothing left of this place except our dreams,” says Tan of

Redang Holiday Beach Villa.

 

As it is, Redang has already lost some of its fans. One chalet operator says

his regular clients are not coming back. One of them is avid scuba diver

Michelle Chow who used to visit Redang almost every month throughout the 1990s.

But she was so disappointed after a trip in 1999 that she never returned to the

island. “It was crowded, and the reef was not as rich as it used to be.”

 

The degradation has to be reversed otherwise Redang might just end up a victim

of its own beauty – and be turned into another duty-free island for unbridled

consumerism.<p>

 

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