Paka: Villagers of Kampung Cacar Paka here are concerned that the erosion on the beach will become more serious if action is not taken to save the beach.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Cacar Batu Federal Village Development and Security Committee (JPKKP) chairman Kamarudin Putih said erosion on the beach has been escalating since 2023 when several resorts and village houses suffered severe damage. Kamarudin emphasized the urgent need to save the 10-kilometre beach to prevent further erosion. He noted that during the Northeast Monsoon from November 2024 to March this year, five houses were destroyed due to erosion, forcing residents to relocate to safer areas.

He further mentioned that the remaining resorts and hotels along the beach are at risk as erosion continues at a rate of more than five metres per year. Kamarudin expressed hope that the government could continue the breakwater construction project at the mouth of Sungai Paka, which was completed two years ago. This project, valued at more than RM130 million by the federal government, aims to address the issues of shallow estuaries and coastal erosion. Kamarudin believes that the construction of a new dyke will help mitigate the future effects of erosion on the beach.

Meanwhile, a resident, Zahari Jusoh, 36, shared his personal experience of being forced to move in January when his house was severely damaged and deemed unsafe due to erosion. Zahari, along with his wife and four children, is currently renting a house in Taman Uda Paka. He recounted how part of the house he had lived in since childhood collapsed and was carried away by the current during the big waves in January.