PUTRAJAYA: Could Tanjung Piai, dubbed the southern-most tip of mainland Asia, and the western part of Langkawi Island disappear under water?
It's a fear that's becoming very real as Malaysia grapples with the effects of a rising sea level caused by global warming.
To find out how vulnerable the country is, the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) has undertaken a major study to determine if the rising sea is going to swallow up low-lying areas along Malaysia’s 4,800km coastline.
DID director-general Datuk Keizrul Abdullah said coastal belts – the zone stretching from the coastline inland until it reaches high ground such as the Main Range – could be inundated, especially during high tide if the sea level rises.
“The study will see what could happen when the sea level rises and its impact on the people, industries and agriculture,” he told The Star.
He said that the DID embarked on the coastal vulnerability index study as a basis for recommending measures to mitigate the impact of sea level rise.
“The study is to identify and index vulnerable areas that could be affected, should the sea level rise by half a metre to 1m,” Keizrul said, adding that the study was among various strategies proposed by Malaysia to address the problem of global warming and rising sea level in its first communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
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Destroyed: Stumps of fallen mangroves in Tanjung Piai. A study is being done to predict the effects in the area should there be a rise in the sea level. |
Its findings would form the basis of the study's second phase, he added.
Keizrul said the rise in sea level only becomes a threat if an area is inhabited.
The best mitigation measures in low-lying areas, he said, was building bunds along the coastline, such as in Bagan Datoh and Kuala Selangor.
As part of the first phase, “we will do micro studies on two areas namely the southern-most tip of the peninsula at Tanjung Piai and the western part of Langkawi Island in the north,” he said.
The focus of studies would also differ according to location, he said.
For instance, a study on Port Klang would focus on residential areas and industries, while a stu-dy on Pulau Tioman would look at the impact on tourism.
Keizrul said that the rising sea level caused by melting ice caps, which contain fresh water, would also affect the salinity of the water as well as push salt water into rivers.
“This would make river water unsuitable for agriculture and human consumption,” he said, adding that fortunately most of the country's drinking water intake points were on higher ground.
Keizrul said the DID would also need help from the Forestry Department, Marine Department, and Department of Environment for the study, as a higher sea level would cause erosion and damage mangrove and marine life, including corals.
Corals, he said, would migrate to shallow water in order to benefit from the sun's rays if they are to survive.
The corals in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and in the Maldives in the early part of the century were damaged due to climatic changes, which he considered a natural process.
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