BOB makes a living by the beach.
He rents out jet skis or floats made from tubes of lorry tyres and cars. Some days, he earns a couple of hundred ringgit. But, there are days when he barely covers his basic essentials.
Weekends are busy for Bob and his friends. Families would come for picnics, bringing their own food and drinks. The beach would be filled with people and this scene is repeated during school holidays.
According to a Japanese researcher, who is a frequent visitor to Malaysia, some of Malaysia’s beaches will be gone in a few years.
If this happens, beach boys like Bob may soon have to earn a living differently. He may have to work as an Uber driver or a GrabCar operator.
If he has no other skill, he may have to work as a dishwasher or sell burgers or nasi lemak to get by.
Back to the Japanese researcher, he said: “Some of your beaches are threatened by erosion. This is a natural phenomenon.
“A beach resort in Langkawi has to take extra steps to stop the erosion. A resort in Terengganu is also facing similar problems. The waves can be very strong and eat the sand away fast.”
Beach resort operators have to figure out how to prevent such erosion. Would a breakwater help? Even if it can, it will be very expensive.
But, the Japanese researcher is more concerned about the hardening of the sandy beach, caused by “heavy traffic”.
This, he said, might prevent big spending tourists from coming to Malaysia.
I spoke to Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Ibrahim Komoo from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, who said beaches were the most dynamic of Earth’s surfaces.
Dynamic here means changes in the beach surface area or size. Stony beaches may see erosion, while sandy beaches may experience deposition.
Citing Langkawi as an example, he said most resorts in Pantai Cenang were built on a part of the beach referred to as beach ridge. These are hardened portions of the beachfront. Plants and trees can be planted here.
The worry, according to him and beach lovers, is the part of the beach that is hit by waves during high- and low-tides. Rubbish left by beach-goers and washed ashore by waves destroys the beach.
Ibrahim said the beach had to be cleaned up to prevent it from being destroyed. Extra efforts must be done to keep the lifespan of these beaches longer.
What people worry most is the way beaches are being used by tour operators as a “highway” to transport their jet skis, boats and supplies to their beach campsite.
Many vehicles are driven on the beach ridges with their jet skis in tow, passing by sunbathing tourists or those just lazing around. This poses a danger to holidaymakers.
Those responsible for keeping our beaches safe and protected need to see for themselves the gradual destruction that is taking place.
People like Bob depend on these beaches to make a living. Those who go to the beach want to ride on jet skis, swim and laze around. There definitely is a demand for such services.
But, allowing motorbikes, cars, vans and other vehicles to use the beach to transport their equipment is a no-no.
Bob and friends offer a legitimate service, and their entrepreneurial spirit should not be discouraged.
A win-win formula is needed to enable visitors and entrepreneurs to co-exist.
Twitter: aat@pahitmanis
Ahmad A Talib is the chairman of Yayasan Salam Malaysia.