Aerial view of the Jelutong landfill and the scope of the reclamation project along the nearby Karpal Singh Drive waterfront. - Screengrab, April 7, 2025
Is the Jelutong reclamation project needed and why are residents against it?
Residents now have until April 14 to collect and submit public objections to the EIA report on the project to close a landfill and reclaim more land near it to create new prime real estate
R. Dineskumar
Updated 11 hours ago
7 April, 2025
8:00 AM MYT
GEORGE TOWN — While land reclamation is seen as the way for Penang island to accommodate population growth and investments, residents and local advocacy groups are concerned about the environmental consequences.
Even as debate still rages over the necessity of the Silicon Island project off Penang island’s southern cost, another proposed reclamation project in Jelutong this time, has residents and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in uproar again.
The project in Jelutong involves 28.3 ha, and is part of a larger rehabilitation project for the Jelutong landfill situated along the Liim Chong Eu (LCE) Expressway.
Scoop looks at the project’s key components and why residents oppose it.
Why rehabilitate the landfill?
The project’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) report sighted by Scoop states that the Jelutong landfill is in need for “safe closure” after being in operation by the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) since the early 1990s.
Closing it means finding alternative areas to dispose domestic waste, as the landfill has reached its lifespan and is no longer usable for waste disposal. Besides domestic waste, it has also taken construction debris.
“In the past, the landfill has been an area for scavengers…(while) gases (emitted) have caused various fires and complaints.
“(Additionally), land on Penang island is limited, thus, there is a need to source new land to cater for the increasing urban population,” states the EIA report on the reason for rehabilitating the landfill.
Rehabilitation will include enhancing aesthetics of the area so that the landfill is no longer an eyesore to surrounding residents, the report adds.
Is the Jelutong reclamation project needed and why are residents against it?
Residents now have until April 14 to collect and submit public objections to the EIA report on the project to close a landfill and reclaim more land near it to create new prime real estate
R. Dineskumar
Updated 11 hours ago
7 April, 2025
8:00 AM MYT
GEORGE TOWN — While land reclamation is seen as the way for Penang island to accommodate population growth and investments, residents and local advocacy groups are concerned about the environmental consequences.
Even as debate still rages over the necessity of the Silicon Island project off Penang island’s southern cost, another proposed reclamation project in Jelutong this time, has residents and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in uproar again.
The project in Jelutong involves 28.3 ha, and is part of a larger rehabilitation project for the Jelutong landfill situated along the Liim Chong Eu (LCE) Expressway.
Scoop looks at the project’s key components and why residents oppose it.
Why rehabilitate the landfill?
The project’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) report sighted by Scoop states that the Jelutong landfill is in need for “safe closure” after being in operation by the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) since the early 1990s.
Closing it means finding alternative areas to dispose domestic waste, as the landfill has reached its lifespan and is no longer usable for waste disposal. Besides domestic waste, it has also taken construction debris.
“In the past, the landfill has been an area for scavengers…(while) gases (emitted) have caused various fires and complaints.
“(Additionally), land on Penang island is limited, thus, there is a need to source new land to cater for the increasing urban population,” states the EIA report on the reason for rehabilitating the landfill.
Rehabilitation will include enhancing aesthetics of the area so that the landfill is no longer an eyesore to surrounding residents, the report adds.
A map from the EIA report shows the landfill area to be rehabilitated and the first phase of land reclamation. The WP1 or working platform 1 (marked in orange) is to host recycling plants for waste collected, according to the Protect Karpal Singh Drive Action Committee. – Screengrab. April 7, 2025.
Who owns the project?
In 2017, the state government awarded the project to PLB Engineering Bhd, a Perai-based developer, under a joint development project with state development agency, Penang Development Corporation (PDC).
PDC was made the trustee for the state government to implement safe rehabilitation of the landfill and the provision of a new site for waste disposal.
In 2020, it was reported that the state government and PDC signed a deal with PLB Engineering Bhd to rehabilitate and develop the Jelutong landfill at a cost of RM 1 billion.
Why reclaim extra land if only the landfill needs rehabilitation?
The EIA report notes constraints to conduct safe rehabilitation of the landfill site, which is by the sea. As such, land is to be reclaimed (28.3 ha) for use as a “working platform” and later developed as prime real estate together with the rehabilitated landfill (36.4 ha).
The reclaimed portion of the project will cover the nearby Karpal Singh Drive, a popular waterfront frequented by locals and joggers, with various food and beverage businesses operating along the stretch. The entire project is expected to take five to six years, and after that, the development of the land another 20 years.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has said the reclamation is necessary to create additional space for rehabilitating the landfill, and to reduce the risk of pollution. He said that the site, once cleaned up, will be handed over to the developer for mixed development.
What are the development components on the reclaimed land?
According to the EIA report, 13.1 ha is for mixed development with a plot ratio of 5:1. The mixed development will consist of residential and commercial plots built on 11 plots of land.
Meanwhile, 12.1 ha, comprising seven plots, will be given to the state government. Another 20.4 ha of land from 13 plots have been put aside for public facilities and amenities, such as primary and a secondary schools, mosque, a non-Muslim house of worship, open space, a police station, a fire and rescue department station, road reserves, drainage reserves and a promenade.
The Karpal Singh Drive waterfront, where land is to be reclaimed under the project. – R. Dineskumar/Scoop pic, April 7, 2025
Who opposes the reclamation?
Five years after the state government and PLB Engineering signed the agreement for the landfill’s rehabilitation and development, the company has displayed the project’s EIA report for public feedback as part of the required process to obtain work approval from the authorities.
Members of the public were invited to inspect the EIA from Feb 6 to Mar 7, with written feedback to be submitted by Mar 22.
Residents of various apartment complexes and businesses near Karpal Singh Drive oppose the land reclamation, and have formed the Protect Karpal Singh Drive (Protect Karpal) action committee.
Objection points: necessity, waste recycling pollution, and marine ecosystem
AD Chandrasekaran, who leads the group, said although they recognise the need to close the landfill in a safe manner, many question the need for the reclamation, which will impact a large section of the coastline near Karpal Singh Drive.
He said the EIA report itself confirms that the rehabilitation of the landfill can be done within the existing landfill site itself.
“This undermines the argument for immediate land expansion (reclamation),” Chandrasekaran has said.
And by extending timelines for five to ten to conduct the rehabilitation in phases, there would be no need to reclaim extra land, he reasoned.
Another point of contention is the intensive waste recycling operations that are to be located on the reclaimed land.
The action committee is concerned that these activities will subject Karpal Singh Drive communities to unacceptable levels of toxic gases, dust, noise pollution, and heavy industrial traffic, severely impacting their quality of life.
Who opposes the reclamation?
Five years after the state government and PLB Engineering signed the agreement for the landfill’s rehabilitation and development, the company has displayed the project’s EIA report for public feedback as part of the required process to obtain work approval from the authorities.
Members of the public were invited to inspect the EIA from Feb 6 to Mar 7, with written feedback to be submitted by Mar 22.
Residents of various apartment complexes and businesses near Karpal Singh Drive oppose the land reclamation, and have formed the Protect Karpal Singh Drive (Protect Karpal) action committee.
Objection points: necessity, waste recycling pollution, and marine ecosystem
AD Chandrasekaran, who leads the group, said although they recognise the need to close the landfill in a safe manner, many question the need for the reclamation, which will impact a large section of the coastline near Karpal Singh Drive.
He said the EIA report itself confirms that the rehabilitation of the landfill can be done within the existing landfill site itself.
“This undermines the argument for immediate land expansion (reclamation),” Chandrasekaran has said.
And by extending timelines for five to ten to conduct the rehabilitation in phases, there would be no need to reclaim extra land, he reasoned.
Another point of contention is the intensive waste recycling operations that are to be located on the reclaimed land.
The action committee is concerned that these activities will subject Karpal Singh Drive communities to unacceptable levels of toxic gases, dust, noise pollution, and heavy industrial traffic, severely impacting their quality of life.
Karpal Singh Drive residents from the Project Karpal Singh Drive action committee at a public outreach session at the waterfront on April 5 to gather more objections from the public against the reclamation
project. – Pic credit Ngo Sheau Shi, April 7, 2025
Thirdly, is the reclamation’s impact on the marine ecosystem at Middle Bank, a 10 sq km seagrass meadow off the eastern coast of Jelutong, which even the Penang government’s own think-tank, Penang Institute, has called to be gazetted as a marine sanctuary.
Middle Bank’s ecological value lies in its 429 species of seagrass, commercial fish, birds, marine mammals, turtles, molluscs and arthropods, according to the Penang Institute in a report, Protecting Penang’s Marine Biodiversity: Establishing the Middle Bank Marine Sanctuary.
Chow has refuted concerns that Middle Banks will be affected by the proposed reclamation, saying the project would not encroach into the seagrass meadow.
However, ProtectKarpal disputed his claims, pointing to scientific evidence as well as the project developer’s own admission of Middle Bank’s ecological sensitivity in the EIA report.
ProtectKarpal also said that there will still be devastating impacts from reclamation activities on the area’s ecosystem.
“Even without direct overlap, the cascade of indirect impacts—sedimentation, habitat destruction, and disrupted currents—will devastate this fragile ecosystem,” the group said in a previous statement.
What have residents done so far?
Protect Karpal has raised public awareness on the project by issuing regular press releases and held a public outreach sessions to raise more public objections to the project.
However, the period to submit all public feedback to Penang’s Department of Environment (DoE) ended on April 5, an extension granted after residents complained they were not informed in a timely manner of the original March 22 deadline.
“The committee has reached out to Penang DoE to request for the deadline to be extended to April 30.
“However, we are yet to receive any feedback from the department,” Chandrasekaran told Scoop when contacted.
Yesterday, however, Penang DoE’s director, Norazizi Adinan, when contacted, told Scoop that central DoE had allowed for an extension to be given until April 14, and residents would be notified of the deadline extension. – April 7, 2025.
Thirdly, is the reclamation’s impact on the marine ecosystem at Middle Bank, a 10 sq km seagrass meadow off the eastern coast of Jelutong, which even the Penang government’s own think-tank, Penang Institute, has called to be gazetted as a marine sanctuary.
Middle Bank’s ecological value lies in its 429 species of seagrass, commercial fish, birds, marine mammals, turtles, molluscs and arthropods, according to the Penang Institute in a report, Protecting Penang’s Marine Biodiversity: Establishing the Middle Bank Marine Sanctuary.
Chow has refuted concerns that Middle Banks will be affected by the proposed reclamation, saying the project would not encroach into the seagrass meadow.
However, ProtectKarpal disputed his claims, pointing to scientific evidence as well as the project developer’s own admission of Middle Bank’s ecological sensitivity in the EIA report.
ProtectKarpal also said that there will still be devastating impacts from reclamation activities on the area’s ecosystem.
“Even without direct overlap, the cascade of indirect impacts—sedimentation, habitat destruction, and disrupted currents—will devastate this fragile ecosystem,” the group said in a previous statement.
What have residents done so far?
Protect Karpal has raised public awareness on the project by issuing regular press releases and held a public outreach sessions to raise more public objections to the project.
However, the period to submit all public feedback to Penang’s Department of Environment (DoE) ended on April 5, an extension granted after residents complained they were not informed in a timely manner of the original March 22 deadline.
“The committee has reached out to Penang DoE to request for the deadline to be extended to April 30.
“However, we are yet to receive any feedback from the department,” Chandrasekaran told Scoop when contacted.
Yesterday, however, Penang DoE’s director, Norazizi Adinan, when contacted, told Scoop that central DoE had allowed for an extension to be given until April 14, and residents would be notified of the deadline extension. – April 7, 2025.
DAP has outgrown Penang. So successful and should be given a chance to govern another state. Malacca or N9 will do. Even PAS can have four states but see where they are now.
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