A Study on Coastal Erosion and Sedimentation Problems

along the Coastline of Teluk Senangin, Perak

Tuan Nurul Shakira Bt Tuan Mohd Shukri
Department of Civil Engineering,
Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS,
Bandar Sri Iskandar,
!"#$ Perak, %ala&sia
Abstract - This work presents the assessment of coastal
erosion and sedimentation problems occur in Teluk Senangin,
Seri Manjung, Perak. Approximatel !"# of the Malasia
coastline is ha$ing erosion. This has cause negati$e effects on
$isual amenit, biodi$ersit and recreational $alues. %isitors
place high $alue on useable sand beaches and reser$e areas
behind the beach. To achie$e an efficient method of coastal
rehabilitation, further mitigations need to be carried in for long-
term where coastal associated with erosion be retreated. This
will impro$e ecological and socio-economic aspects if coastal
areas which ha$e positi$e impacts to local communities and
authorities.
Keywords - coastal erosion, sedimentation, Teluk Senangin.
&. '(T)*+,-T'*(
Malaysia has a long coastline of about 4!! km "hich is
#aluable as national asset for coastal tourism, marine and
"ildlife$ A%art from that, Malaysia coastal %ro#ides gate"ays
for inland trade, %ort facilities, oil and gas industries, %o"er
%lant, residential areas besides it has aesthetic #alue$
Malaysian coastline #aries from scenic bays "ith rocky
headlands to shallo" mud flats co#ered "ith mangro#e forest$
Peninsular Malaysia has high sediment yield from ri#er
discharge and harsher "a#e en#ironment and create hook&
sha%ed sandy bays coastline, mean"hile on the "est coast, the
mild climate from Malacca Straits are suits for mud shores
and coastal forests to be rich in biodi#ersity$
'o"e#er, according to the National Coastal Erosion
Study or kno"n as NCES ()*+,, of 4!* km of shoreline in
Malaysia, about )-*! km (./0, are sub1ected se#ere degree
of erosion$ The a#erage rate of shoreline ranges from less
than ) m %er year to more than )! m %er year in eroding area$
About )-. km of shore are seriously threatened by coastal
erosion and fall under critical erosion areas or Category )$
Another .-2 km of shoreline fall under significant erosion or
Category . and Category - or acce%table coastal erosion area
e3%erienced by *2. km shoreline$ Coastal erosion can be
classified as follo" based on 4e%artment of 5rrigation and
4rainage Malaysia (454,6
i. -ategor & - -ritical
Areas suffering from coastal erosion "here shore&based
facilities are in imminent danger of loss
ii. -ategor / - Significant
Areas "here shore&based facilities are e3%ected to be
endangered "ithin + to )! years if no remedial action is taken
iii. -ategor ! - Acceptable
Erosion areas generally unde#elo%ed "ith conse7uent minor
economic loss if erosion continues unabated
Coastal areas %ro#ide significant %articular ecosystem
ser#ices, nati#e %rimarily %rotection of coastal or tidal
flooding$ A coastal retreat as a result to coastal erosion may
affect these ser#ices and could lead to loss of land economy
and the ecology of human life and %ro%erty$ 'o"e#er, coastal
erosion in one area can %ro#ide ecosystem ser#ices further
along the coast, for e3am%le "here coastal erosion created
cliffs %ro#ide a natural %rotection from tidal$
Coastal %rocesses can be defined by e3treme #ariability
and high le#els of acti#ity "hich includes "a#es, tides,
current and "ind$ As results, "ith the constant e7uatorial
monsoon climate, these %rocesses create sedimentation along
the coastline and may also cause erosion, and thus, influence
the beach %rofile and %lot$ Coastal erosion is naturally
occurring due to the res%onse of the beach to the nature
effects$ Acti#ities done by human also may affect the natural
system causing erosion to accelerate$ Coastal erosion also
may caused by storm "a#es "here sand is trans%orted
offshore, but in most of the cases, the material is lost in
offshore %ermanently, "hile "a#es erode the beach and scour
the bank$ Another cause of coastal erosion is by long shore
sediment trans%ort by "a#es breaking at an angle to the
shore$ Peninsular Malaysia is ha#ing most erosion due to
ma1or cause of erosion due to de%ri#ation of sediment$

/. +0S-)'PT'*( *1 ST,+2 A)0A
1ig. &. Map of Seri Manjung, 3umut and Pulau Pangkor areas
There are many e3tensi#e and relati#ely ne" tourist
attractions es%ecially in coastal area in Malaysia$ The best
e3%osed is selected for coastal erosion and sedimentation is
Teluk Senangin$ Based on SeaMa% (.!)4,, Teluk Senangin is
a%%ro3imately situated 48)9 Northern latitude and )!!8-49
Eastern longitude$ Teluk Senangin is located from -!km from
the to"n of Sitia"an, Perak in north"est of Peninsular
Malaysia is to be designated as Tourist 4e#elo%ment :one
according to the Man1ung district local %lan$$ Teluk Senangin
is o%en to Andaman Sea and Malacca Straits and is %rotected
by Pangkor 5sland "here 4inding Straits se%arates both
Pangkor 5sland and Teluk Senangin$ The geomor%hology of
the coast can be characteri;ed by a long and "ide sand beach
and dunes$
'o"e#er, the de#elo%ment of Teluk Senangin as a tourist
attraction can be categori;ed as slo" de#elo%ment %rogress$
The %o%ulation here is relati#ely small "here about -! houses
are built here$
1ig. / Map of Seri Manjung, 3umut and Pulau Pangkor
areas
Malaysia "ith its tro%ical climate "ith t"o monsoonal
seasons6 the northeast during middle <ctober to March and
the south"est during May to Se%tember$ Based on NCES
()*+,, the "a#e from the south"est during South"est
Monsoon %eriod rarely e3ceeds the height )$ m "ith %eriod
less than 2 seconds$ Since Teluk Senangin is located at the
north"est of Peninsular Malaysia, it is hardly affected by the
monsoon$ The fetch length is limited to a%%ro3imately 4! km
to )-! km in the Malacca Straits as the Sumatera 5sland
%ro#ides shelter to the "est coast, "ith the range of "a#e
height from !$+ m to )$! m and ma3imum to -$! m during
south"est monsoon$ The %redominant "a#e condition along
the northern %art of "est coast has the longer %eriod "a#es
"hich %ro%agate to the coast from Andaman Sea$ 4uring
South"est Monsoon, Andaman coast e3%erience highest
"a#es due to %eaks in "ind and "a#e intensity caused by the
%assing cyclones fre7uently accom%any the retreat of the
monsoon during <ctober to No#ember (Tham%anya et al$,
.!!2,$ Based Malaysian Meteorological 4e%artment the
"inds seldom e3ceed )+ knots and the significant "a#e
height is lo"er than ) m about *0 of the time$
!. *450-T'%0S
4uring this assessment, the author needs to achie#e fe"
ob1ecti#es in order to fully analy;e on coastal erosion and
sedimentation %roblem that ha%%en in Teluk Senangin$ The
ob1ecti#es are as follo"6
i, To determine the %ossible reasons of erosion and
sedimentation %roblem
ii, To study the effect of coastal erosion and sedimentation
%roblem on beach characteristics, socio&economy and others
iii, To come out "ith mitigation measures to reduce and
control the rate of erosion in Teluk Senangin
i#, To 1ustify "hich category of coastal erosion Teluk
Senangin coastline falls
6. +'S-,SS'*(
4.1 Factors of coastal erosion and sedimentation problems
The main reason of the erosion in the coastline of Teluk
Senangin is high tides "hich relates "ith sea le#el rise$$
Tides %lay an im%ortant role in the beach %rocesses and
%rofiles$ The tide on the "est coast is generally bet"een . m
to .$+ m, but can reach 4$) m$ Nea% tidal ranges #ary from
!$+ m to )$2 m on the "est coast$ Based on inter#ie" "ith
fisherman "ho li#es here, high tides ha%%en t"ice a day and
the erosion "as "orst ha%%en during Tsunami .!!4 because
high tides ha%%ened e#ery . to - minutes$ According to
Natural Resources and Environment Ministry Deputy
Secretary-General, Datuk Aziyah Mohamed at
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there
has been increasing significant wave heights in the South
China Sea and eastern parts of Andaman Sea, which had
direct impacts on Malaysian coastline for the last 50 years.
The wave height increase may be the result of increasing
storm activities in this region. IPCC also stated that
projections need to be assessed future impacts of sea-level
rise on coastal area and the sustainability of coastal
settlements in the future. The impact of sea level rise has
increased the frequency and depth of tidal flooding. It
accelerates the coastal erosion where a sea lever rise will
deepen the nearshore waters and allow larger waves to break
on the coastline. Sea rise level cause stable or accreting
beaches to be eroded. The si;e and fre7uency of "a#es is
naturally #ery #ariable "ith no clear %attern e#ident
$
Fig.3. Maximum Wave Height data from Malaysia
Meteorological Department
Based on the =ig - abo#e, the ma3imum "a#e height at
coastline of Perak falls bet"een !$2 m to !$* m "hich can
contribute to coastal erosion$
>ongshore net sediment trans%ort also %lays an im%ortant
role in coastal %rocess$ Although com%rehensi#e long&term
baseline oceanogra%hic data such as "a#e, "ind and current
of this region are limited, the longshore net sediment
trans%ort can be analy;ed$ 5t is mainly dri#en by "a#es
rather than tides and ocean currents$ Erosion occurs "hen
carrying ca%acity of the long shore current generated by
"a#es e3ceed the 7uantity of sediment su%%lied to the beach$
=rom obser#ation seen at site, the sedimentation at high rate
only occur at %articular area, mean"hile the other %art
recei#e less sedimentation$ 'o"e#er, the %arts "here the coast
erodes more ha#e their natural forest as natural coast
%rotection$
Another reason that can be considered as a factor of
coastal erosion is global "arming$ ?lobal "arming "ith has
increase the rate of sea&le#el rise began in nineteenth century
"ith a global mean ocean le#els rising about !$)+ m to !$. m
in t"entieth century but significantly greater amount are
e3%ected in another %resent century (@omar, .!).,$
4e#elo%ment of building and resorts along the coastal
area has clearing some %arts of the forest that should be
coastal natural %rotections$ Parts of forest ha#e been taken
do"n to build chalets and houses to accommodate the
%o%ulation and tourist here$

4.2 Effects of Coastal Erosion and Sedimentation Problems
The erosion in Teluk Senangin has caused some houses to be
in unstable condition$
Fig.4. Sand erosion in front of a chalet
=rom the =ig$ 4 abo#e, coastal erosion is slo"ly ha%%en$
Based on @omar (.!).,, the erosion has decreases the #olume
of sand and gra#el that reach the beach ocean$ At %articular
sites along the coastal area, the lengths of the backshore are
differed$ The longest length measured is .+ m$ Therefore,
only certain %arts of the beach are a#ailable and safe for
human acti#ities such as s"imming$ This has reduced the
limit of number of tourists and may affect the tourism of this
%lace$
Based on Sharifah Mastura (1992), as the water table
rises, there will be development of new coastal flooding areas
where low-lying areas on coastal plain become flooded. In
few decades, Teluk Senangin will be flooded and the
residential areas will be affected, thus will cause negative
effect on the socio-economic of the population over here if no
further action will be taken.
4.3 Mitigations Taken
Fig. 5. Natural forest along Teluk Senangin coastline
'istorically, the coastline has been %rotected by natural
forest along it$ Many s%ecies such as R'i(op'ora m)*ronata,
Ipomoea pes*aprae, Cas)arina e+)isetifolia,coconut trees
and others "hich ha#e big si;es, sha%es, density of trunks,
branches and aerial roots ha#e %rotected the coast from being
eroded$ These natural coastal %rotections can cause
sedimentation to take o#er in longer term, increase surface
ele#ations, and create shallo"er "ater and increasing "a#e
shoaling and energy dissi%ations (Mcl#or et al$, .!).,$ The
dense structure of roots system %ro#ided by the natural forest
along the coastline hel%s consolidate the coastal soil, thus,
this "ill make the coastline more resistant to erosion$
Since "a#e di#erges from Pulau Pangkor, the "a#e
energy recei#e by Teluk Senangin is less than the "a#e energy
from o%en sea$ Aillagers in Teluk Senangin ha#e come out
"ith some mitigation "hich can slightly reduce the erosion$
:ink barriers of a certain height are %laced inside the sand
fe" meters from their houses$ Barriers mi3ed "ith rocks,
sands and concrete also are made by the #illagers$ These little
mitigation "ill reduce at least )!0 "a#e attenuation, thus
erosion rate can be deducted$
Mitigation can be %ro%osed in terms of hard engineering and
soft engineering$ =urther study on the coastal area of Teluk
Senangin can be continued to suggest better mitigation$ 'ard
engineering for coastal defense such as sea "alls and
break"aters %hysically %re#ents coastline erosion$ 'o"e#er,
based on the Marine Climate Change of 5m%act Partnershi%
Annual Be%ort, it states that these barrier structures may
increase the rate of coastal s7uee;e and stee% the intertidal
%rofiles in %articular area$
5n term of soft engineering, soft a%%roaches can be
included for the mitigation$ Beach nourishment "here sand is
added to the beach can raise the height of the beach to raise
the beach heights and managed realignment, "here the
natural rate of erosion can be managed although it is not fully
%re#ented$ Beach nourishment refers to bringing in sand from
some other location and s%reading it on the beach to re%lace
sand lost in storm e#ents$ This is a tem%orary solution and
regular re%lenishment is ty%ically re7uired to maintain the
beach$ Nourishment can be a cost&effecti#e o%tion for highly
utili;ed beaches (Philli%s, .!)),$

7. -*(-3,S'*( A(+ )0-*MM0(+AT'*(S
This study suggests that a%art from natural %henomena
such as e3%osure to "a#e attack during monsoon season,
anthro%ogenic acti#ities ha#e had se#ere im%acts on the
changing of coastline$ The e3istence of natural forest along
the coastline "ith dense roots systems and continue sediment
flu3 are crucial to maintain coastal stability in the region$
This study also has found that Teluk Senangin is still
considerably safe and the coastal erosion is still acce%table
"hich falls under Category -$ 'o"e#er, in one or t"o
decades, %ossible remedial should be taken seriously to
maintain the sustainability of Teluk Senangin for tourism,
economic and social %ur%oses$
The ra%id de#elo%ment of Malaysia economy has been
taking %lace "ith inade7uate safeguards$ This has resulted in
se#ere en#ironmental issues and stress on the coastal ;one
"here the resources ha#e been increasingly threatened by
conflicting uses in ad1acent land and sea areas such as
tourism, trans%ortation, industrial, urban de#elo%ment,
agriculture and many more$ A coastal ;one management %lan
should be immediately and seriously taken by any authorities
in Malaysia to ensure no further damage to the Malaysian
coastal "here all %lans must take into accounts all the
%roblems, issues and recommendations$
)010)0(-0S
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En#ironmental Sciences Treatise on Estuarine and Coastal Science
.!)), Pages .+C-!
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Bise$ Betrie#ed from htt%6EE"""$assembly"ales$orgEF?).&!!)4$%df
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Estimating t'e 1elfare Impa*t of Coastal Erosion %anagement/
Tahuna Conference Centre C Nelson, Ne" :ealand$ August .+&.2, .!))
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Conser#ation Strategy$ Economic Planning Hnit, @uala >um%ur$
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