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Straits Times 7 Sep 05 'Geotubes’ fail to halt erosion R. Sittamparam TANJUNG PIAI, JOHOR: Coastal erosion is rapidly eating away much of Tanjung Piai — the southernmost tip of Johor — and villagers claim the erosion breakers "geotubes" placed by the State Government were not working. They are asking the Government to employ other erosion mitigation means such as building rock embankments to protect the shoreline. Fisherman Yahya Idris, 38, said even after the RM6 million erosion breakers were installed early this year, the pounding waves continue to decimate the mangroves. He said the geotubes — large pipes filled with sand and placed along coastlines to prevent coastal erosion — had failed to stop damage to the mangrove swamps along the coastline. The freshly planted mangroves were uprooted by the waves. The erosion in the area is believed to have been triggered by increased shipping activity in the waters. Studies have shown that more than 20 metres of the coastline in the area have been swept away in recent years. The geotubes were set up under a pilot project by the Drainage and Irrigation Department following the Dec 26 tsunami disaster at Tanjung Piai and Bukit Batu Puteh in Perlis. It was reported that the DID would extend the project nationwide to protect the entire 4,800km coastline of peninsular Malaysia as 29 per cent of the coastline faced erosion problems. A geology researcher from Universiti Malaya, who has surveyed the Tanjung Piai area as part of his study on dugongs, said the strong waves at Tanjung Piai could not be sufficiently contained by the geotubes. Dr Azhar Hussin from the UM Maritime Research Centre said he observed that the waves could pass over the tubes and reach the shore, causing erosion of the land mass and destruction to the mangrove swamps. Azhar said mangrove swamps could only survive at shores bordering calm seas as at Tanjung Piai. However, with the movement of big ships in the area, the water had become rough, causing the destruction of the swamps. links Related articles on Wild shores of Singapore |
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