BALIK PULAU: The sea wall along the Padang Kota Lama promenade here will be reconstructed to minimise seawater, triggered by giant waves, from flooding the road and damaging parked vehicles along the stretch.
The sea wall, stretching from Medan Renong to the nearby Navy base, will be built at a cost of more than RM10 million, to be borne by the Penang Island City Council.
In recent days, Penang has been hit by strong winds and rough seas due to the inter-monsoon period.
Yesterday, giant waves which rose as high as 3.5m battered the sea wall, resulting in seawater landing on vehicles parked on the road along the Padang Kota Lama promenade.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said plans were in the pipeline under the George Town World Heritage Site’s special area plan to reconstruct the sea wall.
He said it involved a tripartite cooperation between the Penang Island City Council, Think City Sdn Bhd and Aga Khan Trust for Culture, under the umbrella of the George Town Conservation Development Corporation (GTCDC).
“The tender (for the reconstruction of the sea wall) is expected to be called sometime this year.
“Based on studies conducted, there is a need to reconstruct the sea wall which has eroded over time.
“There is a proposal to recreate the sea wall of the olden days where one can walk down the steps to the small beach area. We will look into this,” he told newsmen during a visit to the Balik Pulau market here this morning.
Elaborating, Chow said that the current sea wall along the Padang Kota Lama promenade was also not the original sea wall.
A sea wall is a form of coastal defence constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a sea wall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation and leisure activities from the action of tides, waves, or tsunamis.
Earlier, Chow lamented the poor maintenance of the 11-year-old market.
“The onus is not only on the council to ensure the market provides a conducive environment for the people to shop comfortably.
“All traders have to have a sense of ownership to jointly look after the marketplace well,” he added.