KUALA TERENGGANU: The irresponsible act dumping of used marine oil by an unidentified vessel has been blamed for the beach pollution at Pulau Redang.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman said that chalet operators of Redang Lagoon, Redang Bay and Redang Pelangi have complained to authorities of the oil pollution at Long Beach at 5pm on Sunday.
The black sludge had ended up as tar balls and painted the pristine beach black.
“Following investigation, we discovered that an irresponsible individual had dumped a large plastic bag containing about 25 litres of used marine oil off the island, which later drifted to the beach and affected a stretch of beachfront about 300m long.
“The resort operators, divers and tourists cooperated in cleaning up the beach, using a case machine and plastic bags to remove the polluted sand to a nearby dumping ground.
“The cleaning up process was completed in less than two hours,” said Razif.
He added that although the pollution was not of large scale but it was nevertheless a serious matter as it affected marine life, caused environmental pollution and threatened tourism at Terengganu’s idyllic islands which is a main revenue generator for the state and its people.
Environment lovers had warned that pollution from oil spills could have adverse effects on marine life and other animals, let alone beachgoers.
The thick black oil can also prove fatal for turtles coming to lay eggs, birds looking for food, fish, microorganisms and even corals.
Razif added that the authorities, including officials from the Marine Parks Department and Fisheries Department, would monitor the situation to ensure the beaches of its five main touristic islands of Pulau Redang, Pulau Perhentian Besar, Pulau Perhentian Kecil, Pulau Lang Tenah and Pulau Kapas were not tainted.
PIX 1: The large plastic bag still containing a huge amount of marine oil, found along Long Beach in Pulau Redang.
PIX 2: Chalet operators, divers and tourists helping to clean up Long Beach that was tainted by the dumping of used marine oil in Pulau Redang.