Refinery Island Can Destroy Coral Reefs

ALOR STAR: The construction of a man-made island in the waters off Yan can turn the area into a sea “desert”.

This, according to Universiti Malaysia Terengganu marine biologist Choo Chee Kuang, was because the reclamation works would destroy the rich and diverse coral reefs at several islets in the area.

“The coral reefs are rich breeding grounds for a variety of marine life and they are very sensitive ecologies.

“If the construction is not properly supervised, the waters off Yan would be devoid of any marine life,” he said, when asked about the Pas-led state government’s plan to allow the construction of the island, about 370 times the size of a football field, to house refineries for the proposed RM83 billion Kedah Hydrocarbon Hub.

Choo, a Kedah-born and familiar with the waters off Yan, was concerned about the fate of coral reefs surrounding a number of islets near the proposed site for the four-square-kilometre man- made island.

Some of the country’s oldest and vibrant coral reefs, which have flourished for hundreds of years, could be found near Pulau Bunting, Pulau Songsong and Pulau Telor, which are less than two kilometres from the Yan shore.

Choo said once destroyed, the coral reefs could be gone forever. “The area would be devoid of any marine life, especially fish, and this would drastically affect the livelihoods of many fishermen in Yan.”

Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak had recently announced that the state government preferred building the refineries on reclaimed land to constructing them on padi fields in Yan.

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