IN preparing the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report on the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project, did the possibility of the recurrence of a non-preventable natural disaster even cross the minds of the consultants? Obviously it did not cross the minds of the developers who had proposed to conquer the sea by burying 1.8ha of it under a concrete jungle. It seems to have also escaped the minds of the state government and the Department of Environment.

Such is the power of the greedy thought of “development” to make money! Even if any of them did have a remote, flickering thought about the 2004 tsunami that had affected the whole southern side of the island, in Batu Maung, Teluk Tempoyak, Permatang Damar Laut, Sungai Batu, Teluk Kumbar, Gertak Sanggul and right up to Pulau Betong, pride and arrogance would have dismissed the thought in the false belief that humans can conquer nature with their technology and engineering skills.

A tsunami had never hit the shores of Penang before this. The earthquake that triggered it occurred in the northwest of Sumatra. The powerful waves had travelled in all directions, including eastwards around the northern tip of Sumatra and onwards to the shores of Perlis, Kedah, Langkawi; southwards down the Malacca Straits hitting parts of northern Penang; further southwards on the western side of the island before diffracting eastwards around the “left rear leg of the turtle”, (the turtle being the shape of Penang island) to kill and injure dozens of people and destroy homes on the southern side of the island, where developers and the state government are planning to build three 1.8ha islands.

Could the project proponents, the Penang government, the EIA consultants and the Department of Environment answer a few questions, please?

On a planet that has been so ravaged by greedy humans thus forcing it into climate change mode with an increasing number of natural disasters occurring, is there a guarantee that there will never be a repeat of the 2004 tsunami? If there is a guarantee, who gives that guarantee?

What “mitigation” measures have the EIA experts recommended to “tame” a similar tsunami and keep the “development” on the three man-made islands safe from the might of nature?

Can any “mitigation” measures successfully stop tsunami waves in their tracks at a given point?

The devastating tsunami was caused by an earthquake resulting from the violent movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates which had been pushing against each other and building pressure for a long time. The experts tell us that they continue to do so (pushing against each other) and will likely cause underwater earthquakes and tsunamis in the future.

At best, early warning systems (if kept in good operational condition at all times, for which we don’t have a good record) can allow humans to be forewarned and try to save themselves. But their homes and all else on the land will still be devastated. No insurance company would give protection against a tsunami.

There is a Malay proverb that says “malang tidak berbau” (misfortune does not stink), meaning you can never tell when it will strike. You can never tell when another 2004 tsunami will happen.  And if it does, the three man-made islands will suffer the most damage, unless the developers and their engineers can stop the waves before they reach the islands. They may be able to “conquer” the rich fishing grounds and destroy them for good, but can they conquer a tsunami?

Nature should be respected and the PSR project abandoned. The mentality of keeping up with the Joneses (in this case to build copycat versions of Singapore’s Marina Bay and Dubai’s Marina Mall) should also be abandoned. If the idea is to create a “heaven” to attract tourists for their money, that would be, to put it crudely, dressing up the island to prostitute it. What a shame. Grand buildings, GDP and the like are not true measures of “development”.  – July 16, 2019.

*Ravinder Singh reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.