Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said Penang island, like many other islands around the world, faces a threat of submerging.

Hence, reclamation will serve as a double-edged sword in providing fortresses to shield it from rising sea levels and, at the same time, provide more space for development, he said.

“Many island states around the world are already looking at land reclamation to combat climate change.

“Rising waters is the biggest challenge. All around the world, they are reclaiming land to increase the height of their periphery to protect themselves from being flooded,” Jagdeep said after opening the World Town Planning celebrations here today.

There are three active reclamation projects surrounding the island – the Seri Tanjung Pinang II project at Straits Quay, another at the Gurney Drive foreshore, and the third off the waters of Queensbay.

The state government plans to build three more islands in the south to fund its RM46 billion Penang Transport Master Plan in the next 20 to 30 years. The sale of the reclaimed land will finance rail, roads and other transit projects.

The Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project near Teluk Kumbar has met with strong opposition from activists and fishermen, who say it will destroy their livelihood.