Villagers fight to save Tioman reefs

A protest was held recently at Kampung Genting, Tioman Island against the construction of a new airport on the island. Chellian, Reef Check Malaysia’s Programme Manager, who has been living on the island for 5 years now believes building of a new airport on the island will cause the beautiful coral reefs which is the islands main attraction to face irreversible damage. Sea grass beds and shorelines will also be affected, and the aesthetic beauty of clear white sandy beaches will be diminished. The construction process can cause a change in currents and sand movement in the area, which may then lead to beach erosion in the area.

The protest was headed by En. Haji Azman, the village head and attended by local islanders. According to En. Haji Azman, this proposed new airport will be built on a reclaimed island in front of Kampung Genting. He said the villagers have not been given thorough information on this proposed project, leaving many of them in the dark about the actual plans of this development on their island. “Why has there not been transparency in communicating information about this airport to us? We feel that our opinion does not matter and the impacts of this new airport to the villagers have not been taken into consideration”, he added.

The locals have expressed concern that this new airport may lead to Tioman Island turning into another Boracay Island (Philippines) or Maya Bay (Thailand) which had to be closed due to severe environmental damage brought about by uncontrolled tourism expansion.

Tioman Island already has an airport in the main village, Kampung Tekek. However, this airport has a short landing strip, allowing only smaller planes to land. Many of the villagers feel that it would be better to upgrade the current airport and use suitable airplanes to operate flights into the island. They have also suggested to allow more flights into the island from other airports (besides Subang Airport) such as Senai, Kuantan and Singapore. They have also suggested improving ferry services from Mersing and Tg. Gemok.

Tioman Island is a well-known tourist destination and tourist arrivals on the island have been steadily increasing since 2008. However, the island does not have adequate infrastructure and facilities to support this number of tourists. It certainly would not be able to withstand the influx of tourists that would happen with the construction of a new airport. “A new airport is not what the island needs right now. It will not benefit the local community or the environment”, said Alvin

The focus on the island should be in improving its infrastructure and systems such as water system, rubbish disposal, waste treatment and electricity supply. Tioman faces regular episodes of water shortage, besides having improper waste water treatment facilities. The local incinerator on the island is unable to accommodate the amount of trash generated, and it also is not able to deal with some waste such as electrical and electronic waste.

While the local islanders on Tioman do not oppose development on the island, they are against such development which will bring about negative effects and consequences to the environment and to their livelihoods.  The islanders feel that this project will not benefit them in any way, and it will only impact Tioman negatively. The island is currently not equipped to handle more tourists. Proper studies and research needs to be done before such projects are approved, particularly on the carrying capacity of the island. The needs and opinion of the locals should also be considered, and their interests should not be pushed aside. Tioman Island is a marine protected area, and it should remain pristine and protected from any damage.