Coastal Erosion at Butterworth Outer Ring Road

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) is very concerned over the coastal erosion in a section of the Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR) which is becoming critical.

The Penang State Government, the concessionaire of the BORR i.e. Lingkaran Lebuh Raya Butterworth (Penang) Sdn. Bhd. (LLB), the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) and other relevant agencies must investigate this matter immediately because the erosion is closing on to the outer ring road.

If the situation persists, not only the motorway will be eroded but it would also threaten the safety of road users.

In a survey conducted by SAM recently, we were startled by the coastal erosion and wondered why the LLB has not taken swift action to resolve the problem. During the survey we also found that the coastal water was red in colour and garbage was adrift, marring the environment here.

Members of the public whom we met said that they are concerned because strong waves that caused the coastal erosion are rapidly approaching the highway. If the situation is left unchecked, their safety and lives are threatened. In addition, some of them stated that they have informed LLB of this erosion problem but no remedial action has been taken.

SAM is concerned that if this issue is not dealt with immediately, the impact will worsen. Hence SAM urges the LLB and the responsible authorities to take immediate action to address and resolve this problem.

Press Statement, 8 June 2016