Now everyone can report hill clearing activities using Whatspp or email! Penang Forum held a press conference this morning to launch the Penang Hills Watch initiative.
Purported ‘suicide note’ that went viral reveals pressure, despair felt by some
This suicide at the second Penang bridge startled many not least due to the reported message purportedly left behind by the victim on Facebook. This statement by Parit Buntar MP Mujahid Yusof is worth pondering on.
Flash floods hit Farlim, state mosque area
Flash floods submerged Jalan Thean Teik in Farlim in front of All Seasons after a heavy downpour this evening. The areas around the state mosque, the Turf Club area and Jalan P Ramlee were also affected.
Welcome to the new ‘Thean Teik River’.
Newspaper deliveries slump; Gurney Drive going green?
Today, I met someone I know who delivers newpapers to homes in his neighbourhood in Penang every morning on a part-time basis. He told me he used to deliver about 170-180 newspapers on his daily rounds about two years ago. Nowadays, that figure has fallen to around 80.
From 87 units per acre density to 128 units per acre!
I am not sure what is going on here. The state government has announced that the “87 units per acre guideline, after deliberation with all stakeholders, will be replaced by a new guideline of 128 units per acre, whereby the units developed under this guideline cannot be less than 900 square feet and cannot be priced less than RM400,000…”
RM55bn for East Coast rail line project… but 19% budget cut for public universities
Tucked away in the PM’s Budget 2017 speech was this nugget:
240. The Government is also committed to upgrade public transport in rural areas through the following measures:
First: Implementation of the new East Coast Rail Line project connecting Klang Valley to the East Coast,
in phases. The 600-km rail will connect townships such as Port Klang, ITT Gombak, Bentong, Mentakab,
Kuantan, Kemaman, Kerteh, Kuala Terengganu, Kota Bharu, and ends in Tumpat, with an estimated cost of RM55 billion;
A cool RM55bn. Interesting that there are no qualms going for such a mega project at this time.
This comes at a time when the government also has no qualms about slashing the budget of public universites by almost 20 per cent!
Penang state government vs Gerakan: Why the GDP debate is meaningless
Over the last few days, we have witnessed an exchange between the Penang state government and Gerakan over the economic and development performance of Penang.
King Tides provide a glimpse into how climate change will affect us
Can it be business as usual for us? Why weren’t King Tides a big problem before? What has changed?
Flashback: Cracks spotted along Batu Ferringhi road
Photos have been circulating of cracks on the hlll-slope roads leading to the Vale of Temp.
Some time ago, I wrote a blog post about cracks on the road to Batu Ferringhi, not too far from where the sections of the road have cracked or given way.
Apparently, there’s even a sink hole, somewhere near Gottlieb Road. From what I hear, there used to be waterway from the Botanic Garden to Gurney Drive, which was covered over when Gottlieb Road was built.
You see, we have been allowing higher density property development, especially in places like Tanjung Bungah and Batu Ferringhi, without looking at whether the supporting infrastructure can cope. In a blog post about cracks on the road, I wrote: “Residents worry that the supporting existing infrastructure (e.g. roads) will be unable to cope with the higher density.”
That road near Vale of Temp was never meant for heavy vehicles or the heavy traffic that high density development has created.
The following is is the original blog post from 9 January 2015:
Stress marks and cracks have appeared along the main road to Batu Ferringhi which hugs the hillslopes along the north and north-west coastline of Penang Island.
