Environmental issues and sustainable land-use planning: a case study of coastal zone of Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia

摘要

A sound land use planning plays an important role towards a better environmental resourcesrndevelopment. Land being the vital ingredient in any development needs a betterrnunderstanding and systematic planning. This closely rooted towards sustainable land userndevelopment. Ignorance towards a systematic land use planning can bring various problemsrnrelated to physical environment. This can be seen clearly in Penang Island, where land isrnconsidered a vital component in developing the Island's economic resources. As the state pushrntowards land-use development, environmental problems such as slope failure, mud-flood,rnsevere coastal erosion, vanishing green lung, frequent flash flood, river pollutions becomesrnliability to the environmental sustainability of the Island. As a land and resources starved citystate,rnPenang Island's environmental and developmental challenges differ considerably fromrnthose facing her neighbors'. Again, issues related to environmental degradation shows up withrnno specific long term solutions. This environmental degradation, which is not at par withrneconomic achievement, will hamper the social harmony in the island. Malaysian Institute ofrnPlanners of Northern Branch (MIPNB) chairman Tan, had highlighted on Present DevelopmentrnPlans, control policies and Guidelines; some basics for review that many development plans,rncontrol policies and guidelines and outdated and unsuitable. Some are even not practical in thernlight of the present economic, environmental and social circumstances. Many of them arernintroduced decades ago and some based on alien situations, which have long changed even inrnthe countries of originrnThe coastal zone of Bayan Lepas, Penang Island, Malaysia were alienated to cater the everrngrowing industrial sector. The whole industrial zone at Bayan Lepas was built on reclaimed land from the sea. This paper intends to analyze environmental issues of the existing land usernplanning, at Bayan Lepas, Penang.