1,000 more mangrove saplings at Tanjung Tokong seafront

I agreed and gives thumbs up for the plan, but what about long term future? If the plants grow taller in the near future, it will block the seafront views. What about the rubbishes that are being stucked among the plants? It will create a very unhealthy sights for visitors...

Read the article below from the Star today:

The Penang Government’s mangrove project at the Gurney Drive seafront kicked into high gear over the weekend, with some 1,000 saplings planted off the Marina Bay condominiums near Tanjung Tokong.

Tanjung Bungah assemblyman Teh Yee Cheu, who headed the planting, said it was part of the state’s long-term effort to plant 10,000 mangrove trees at the seafront this year.

“We started our first batch last year with 300 mangrove saplings planted near the Gurney Drive roundabout. Now, those trees are about 2.1 metres tall,” Teh said.

He said with the consent from the state Forestry Department, 1,000 more mangrove saplings were planted on Saturday with up to 4,000 more planned for next month.

“We are hoping to get 3,000 more saplings from the Forestry Department and 1,000 from Pulau Tikus assemblyman Koay Teng Hai for the next planting which can hopefully be done in mid-May,” he said, adding that the trees would be planted off Gurney Drive near the end of Jalan Bagan Jermal.

State Health, Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the state planned to gazette 800ha of seafront area around Penang island and Seberang Prai for mangrove planting.

“Penang is the leading state for environmental awareness in the country. Aside from 10,000 mangrove trees on the island’s coast, we also hope to plant another 10,000 along the mainland,” he said at the ‘I Can Live Green’ environmental project launched on Sunday.

He said 54,000 trees were planted in the state last year and Penang was on track to achieve a target of 75,000 trees this year.

“This is also in line with the Federal Government’s call to plant one tree for every Malaysian. For Penang, this will mean 1.5 million trees by 2014,” Phee said.

Under the Government’s Earth Day campaign launched last Thursday, 26 million trees are set to be planted by 2014, representing the estimated 26 million population of the country.

The ‘I Can Live Green’ project, organised by JCI Tanjung Bungah and Penang Municipal Council, is a four-month long project to rehabilitate Linear Park (better known as Taman Jajar) near the Air Itam river.

The project will include the making and throwing of EM mudballs and the setting up of a recycling system in the area.