Source : The Star Online
Title : Trash rafts marring image of Pulau Perhentian
I WRITE in response to the article “Marine life at Pulau Perhentian under threat from trash” which was published in your newspaper on June 15.
I frequently visit the Perhentian islands and I have spoken to a few people on the island about this issue as it is one of the most unpleasant sights for tourists coming to the islands. Firstly, the floating rafts in the photo are not meant for tourists. They are built for the people of Perhentian to put their trash on before they are collected by the contractor and brought to the mainland.
This has been practised for a number of years now and this issue has been highlighted a few times over the past years as tourism on the islands gains popularity. As an avid diver and someone who loves the natural environment, it is a sore sight when one heads towards the Perhentian islands as one sees these rafts filled with trash along the main channel separating the two islands. Surely, this can’t be good for the tourism industry as it portrays a bad image for the country.
On the ecological side, these plastic bags of trash are often seen floating on the water near the rafts. The trash could be harmful to the marine life, not to mention the plastic bags which are often mistakenly eaten by turtles. The turtles like jellyfish (or other floaty stuff that looks like jellyfish in the water.
I believe both the Government and the operators have to work together to find solutions to this issue. If proper steps are not taken in the near future, the marine ecosystem, which is the only attraction to the tourists coming to these islands will be damaged. And it will hurt the tourism industry, causing significant loss of revenue to both the Government and the operators on the islands.
I believe that in order to reduce the damage, simple steps such as the 3R’s concept of reduce, reuse and recycle can be taken. Reduction in the consumption of plastic bottles, cans and even food waste can reduce significantly the amount of trash produced. Reusing kitchen waste as fertiliser through composting as well as recycling tins and plastic bottles can also help the cause.
I believe it is also the responsibility of tourists who come in to the islands to remember to bring out any trash that they have brought in, bought on or produced on the islands. I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard to carry four plastic bottles you have used out to Besut and throw them in one of the recycling bins you can find there.
Let us work together to keep the marine resources on the islands for our young generation to experience in the future.
DANLEE,
Subang Jaya.
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