to - Geogallers.com

Chapter 6D Port Dickson Subcell 6
C2S6M1 Purnama
Introduction: The west-facing long microcell although belonging to the same sediment
compartment is variable in land use, coastal form, beach sediments, accessibility and
offshore features. To facilitate description the microcell has been subdivided into four
segments:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Public Beach
Corporate Beach
Guoman Beach
Tentera Beach
The northern part of Purnama is a recently developed beach for the public so as to divert
tourists from the often crowded Kemang beach. There is ample car parking space with a
steep descent down a flight of stairs or a steep slope down to the beach. . The beach is
usually used by visitors staying at the numerous condos nearby. The beach is officially
named Sri Purnama. The beach to the south is usually referred to as Corporate Beach
because of the many holiday bungalows owned by big corporations. Towards the
southern end towards Blue Lagoon are up-market integrated Guoman Resort and the
army land.
Public Beach: This stretch of beach is from the headland to a small protrusion and
includes the public beach as well as a small section of coast with private property behind
(Figure 6.148).
Figure 6.148.Aerial oblique of Public Beach, Purnama
High cliffs lie behind the narrow beach which is nearly submerged during high tide to the
south. The base of the cliff are mostly armoured with seawalls although there are short
undefended sections. Cliff retreat supply some sands to the beach however most of the
materials for beach formation are from offshore. A field of dead coral heads lies in front
of the beach and farther offshore may be living corals. Within the dead coral areas are
elongated broad sand bars. The coral heads are only exposed during low tide. The whitish
beach sands are well sorted and fine grained and compact able to support motorized
vehicles. After rain, the beach is very wet with water running down the slope, cutting
thin sand gullies across the beach and transporting sands into the sea.. Some of the
characteristics described are shown in Figure 6.149.
Field of dead coral heads
Turfed cliff with low seawall along base
Compact beach
View from the cliff top
Figure 6.149. Characteristics of Public Beach, Purnama
Beach profile monitoring below the seawall recorded surface lowering of the lower beach
by about 60cm but with no observable change in coastline position over the period of
monitoring (Figure 6.150). The beach face slope was very gentle at 3 degrees and the
intertidal slope was 0.24 degrees. No berm was recorded throughout the whole year with
high tide reaching nearly the base of the seawall or cliff.
REDUCED LEVEL IN METRE
PURP1
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
19/11/06
23/2/07
17/6/07
1
0.5
0
-0.5 0
-1
6/9/2007
HAT
MHWS
20
40
60
80
DISTANCE IN METRE
Figure 6.150. Result of beach profile monitoring PURP1
Corporate Beach: This is a long segment running from the shore platform in front of the
small headland to the culvert marking the beginning of Guoman Beach. Seawalls of
various designs and construction materials protect private properties.
In front of the headland are rock outcrops surrounded by mainly dead coral reefs.
Another patch of reefs lie in front of Kaynes Hotel where the beach in front has a small
protrusion of sand brought down by the small stream now canalized. Occasionally, the
stream on draining into the beach is diverted southwards by an offshore bar to form a
narrow elongated lagoon (Figure 6.151).
Figure 6.151 North segment Corporate Beach
In front of the headland are small caves and red shingle deposits, together with remnants
of concrete supports, usually exposed after storms. Some of the shingle deposits are
slightly cemented indicating an old age. Large boulders of quartz outcrops on the beach
and pieces broken off from the outcrop are intermixed with red laterite gravels to give an
attractive contrast. In the past the laterite and quartz boulders were used for constructing
seawalls. Some of the features described are shown in Figure 6.152.
In red and white
Shingle, quartz and pillars
Cemented shingles
Wall of laterite and quartz
Figure 6.152. Rocks, boulders and shingles
The beach is flat and composed of moderately grained sands intermixed with gravels. The
presence of green algae on the beach in front of the hotel suggests polluted discharge.
The segment of the coast can be accessed via a narrow road beside the hotel which has a
wide setback. The rest of the coast is mainly occupied by holiday bungalows belonging to
corporations or institutions. Some of the features described are shown in Figure 6. 152.
Green beach and campers
Wide setback in front of Kaynes
Private bungalows of Corporate Beach
Public beach access beside Kaynes
Figure 6.152. Some features of north segment of Corporate Beach
Monitoring of beach profile recorded a flat slightly convex beach of 2.9 degrees below
the sea wall without any berm development throughout the whole year (Figure 6. 153).
The beach surface was lowered by about 20cm along the upper and lower beach but
remains unchanged along mid beach. The intertidal slope was 0.63 degrees. The June 07
storm does not appear to have affected Purnama Beach which was near identical to the
February beach profile.
REDUCED LEVEL IN METRE
PURP2
2.5
2
19/11/06
1.5
23/2/07
1
17/6/07
6/9/2007
0.5
HAT
0
-0.5 0
20
40
60
80
MHWS
-1
DISTANCE IN METRE
Figure 6.153. Result of beach monitoring of PURP2
The beach after the storm was strewn with strand materials but the beach below the
seawall appears to be untouched by the storm. During the September 07 monitoring, the
beach was waterlogged with surface water after heavy rain. (Figure 6.154) Water flowing
down the slope had soaked the beach and a wet beach is more susceptible to shore
erosion.
June 07 beach after storm
September 07 beach after heavy rain
Figure 6. 154. Beach after storm and rain
The mid -south segment of Corporate Beach begins at the road leading to the coast and
ends in the culvert which marks the beginning of the two biggest development along
Purnama (Figure 6.155. The coast is characterized by mainly large private property
separated from the whitish beach by a low seawall constructed of laterite boulders. Along
the lower beach are often developed beach cusps of red coarse sands. The land behind the
beach may be a bluff or low terrain. Some majestic angsana trees thrive in the property
south of Halcyon.
Mid segment Corporate Beach
South segment Corporate Beach
Figure 6.155. Mid and south segment Corporate Beach
Several interesting structures can be observed here (Figure 6.156). A mini Great Wall of
China marks the beginning of this coastal segment followed by what appears to be a
swiftlet house and ends in a castle reminiscent of Kellie’s folly. The castle is located in
Halcyon Hotel and on the beach behind the hotel are remains of an old jetty.
Mini Great Wall of China
A house for swiftlets?
Castle
Old jetty structure
Figure 6.156. Interesting structures of mod-south segment of Corporate Beach
Guoman Beach: This coastal segment extends from the broken culvert and ends where
the army land begins. Two large developments are found here, the TNB Resort and the
integrated Guoman Resort which incorporates a gold course (Figure 6.157, Figure 6.158).
Figure 6. 157. Guoman Coast: from fishing village to integrated resort
Figure 6.158. Golf Course of Guoman
In 1987 the coast was occupied by a fishing village and remains undeveloped in 1991 but
by 1994 the gold course was also in place together with Guoman Resort. The main
building for the resort is setback adequately from the beach but structures constructed in
2007 are close to the beach. The low seawall defending the property was already failing
with short sections completely destroyed. It is therefore surprising to see the newer
development planned without due consideration of the retreating coast. The coast was
earlier classified as critical erosion in this study but the new seawall constructed has
managed to hold the coastline (Figure 6.159). Only time will tell whether the new seawall
is successful in prevent shore retreat.
Failing seawall and no setback
Missing seawall and no setback
New seawall protecting new building
New seawall protecting new building
Figure 6.159 . A critical eroding area mitigated by building new seawall
The seawall of another property appears to have encroached on to the beach. The mouths
of the two culverts along this coast show a slight protrusion of red sands, indicating some
fluvial supply of sands for beach construction. The beach of pinkish sands with gravels
forming beach cusps on lower beach slope is of reasonable quality. Access to the beach
is difficult and the beach is mainly used by those staying at the beach resorts. Some of the
coastal features of Guoman are illustrated in Figure 6.160.
Broken culvert
Encroachment on beach
Preparing for an emergency
Guoman beach
Figure 6.160. Selected features of Guoman
Tentera Beach: The long beach extends from the southern property line of Guoman to
the Bt. Peria headland and behind the beach is army land (Figure 6.161)
Rock outcrops and fluvial sediment yield
Coral reefs offshore
Heritage trees
Coral reefs and coralline beach
Figure 6.161. Aerial obliques of Tentera Beach
Access to the beach is difficult as there is no normal access. Access must be made along
the beach from Corporate Beach or around the Peria headland during low tide. The land
behind the beach is army land which used to have a firing range. The land is largely
unused now but the presence of armed sentries does not make the beach too inviting for
the public. The beach is mainly utilized by army personnel. The beach of sugary sands is
of high quality. The fine sands are blown inland during strong winds to form lobes of
Aeolian sands. Streams draining on to the beach via a collapsed culvert transports reddish
fluvial sands to the beach and a prodelta has formed in front of the mouth. Some
magnificent old trees have survived in this beach. Some of the features described are
shown in Figure 6.162.
Majestic sea almond tree
Wind blown sands
Beach of sugary sands
Remnants of failed sea wall
Figure 6. 162. Coastal characteristics of Tentera Beach
The most exciting feature of Tentera beach is the presence of coral reefs which can be
explored from the beach (Figure 6.162). The reef is largely unknown to the general
public who are usually taken to Cape Rachado by boat operators.
Figure 6. 163. Snorkellers diving over the coral reef in front of Tentera Beach
There are widespread signs of past erosion but the beach appears to be accreted
since1995 (Figure 6.164). Failed culverts, collapsed seawalls are a common sight. In
1995, this part of the coast was classified as critical erosion. The actual site cannot be
determined but was probably where the main seawall is. This was rebuilt in the 1990s and
remnants of the old laterite which was very evident in 1995 are still scattered on the
beach in 2007.
1995 new seawall and remnants of failed Nov 2006 seawall intact and sand accretion
seawall scattered on beach
resulting in lower wall height
Figure 6.164. Beach condition of 1995 and 2006
Natural Defense Assets: Rocky reefs and a wide intertidal sand flat provides some
protection for the coast
Coastal Interests: Natural features of dead coral heads, coral reefs and beach deposits of
various sizes and colours are of interest to beach visitors. There are also monuments such
as mini Great Wall of China and a castle that will catch the attention of the curious beach
user. The beach is also lined with majestic trees growing in private land or public land.
Coastal Issues: Coastal issues pertinent to Purnama would include erosion in which the 8
and 9 milestone beaches were classified as critical erosion by DID in 1985. The 8
milestone lies within Corporate Beach and the 9 milestone within Tentera Beach. Since
nearly the whole coast is now defended by seawalls, it is difficult to identify the old
critical erosion sites on the ground. In the early 1990s, the Tentera seawall was failing
and was rebuilt. Remnants of the old wall are scattered on the beach. This could be the
old critical erosion site. The only area of concern regarding beach erosion is Guoman
Beach where the seawalls were breaking apart in the early 2007. However the seawall
had` been repaired. Construction of new structures in Guoman without adequate setback
is another area of concern for coastal management. The pollution that plaques other
beaches of Port Dickson is also felt here, especially where discharge has resulted in
beaches turning green.
Recommendations: This under utilized beach should be made more accessible to the
public.
C2S6M2 Blue Lagoon
Introduction: Blue Lagoon is a clearly defined sediment compartment bounded by Bt
Peria headland and the headland to the south that marks the beginning of the rocky Tg.
Tuan headland. Blue lagoon forms the western side of a tombolo that links the former Tg
Tuan island to the mainland coast. The beach is famous for its coralline sands and
fringing corals that are exposed during low tide. Unfortunately collection of live corals
has degraded the fringing corals to shore. This microcell is unusual being in both the
States of Negeri Sembilan and Melaka.
The summit of Tg. Peria was developed for a complex of bungalows in the late 1980s and
the project completed around 1992 (Figure 6. 165), leading to adverse impacts on the
beaches. Initial earth works resulted in red earth washed into the sea and contaminated
the white beaches turning it red.
Figure 6.165. Hill top development on Bt. Peria
There was much public outcry as the beach is regarded by many as the best in Port
Dickson. Various measures were taken in response to the slope erosion leading to the
present in which a line of gabions protect the unsightly cemented slope. The responses
over time in stabilizing the slope and preventing contamination of the beach are
illustrated in Figure 6.166.
1989
Dec 1992
1995
2006
Figure 6.166. Headland development and impacts
During low tide, it is possible to walk around the headland to Tentera Beach. Below the
gabions, sections of which have collapsed, is a well developed boulder beach of very
poorly sorted metasediments deposited on top of a rock shore platform (Figure 6.167)
The rocky shore provides many hours of exploration of marine life. There is an access
from the summit to the rocky beach but it is probably a private access. A few isolated
stacks of quartz-metasediment outcrops give an added attraction to the rocky coast.
Boulder beach in front of armoured cliff Access to beach from private property
base
Collapsed gabions
1992 view from Bt. Peria
Figure 6.167. Coastal features of Peria headland
Blue Lagoon is a deeply indented bay forming one side of the tombolo (Figure 6.168).
Beach sands are mainly derived from the coral reefs offshore and give Blue Lagoon the
characteristic sugary sands. The whole tombolo has been intensively developed and in
fact the first mega development in Port Dickson took place here when Tg. Biru
condominium was constructed in mid 1970s. An outfall extending far into the sea at Blue
Lagoon was emplaced but this was later removed by order from the highest authority.
Figure 6.168. Tg Tuan tombolo with Blue lagoon on the western side and Cermin on the
eastern side
The main beach still retains its naturalness with shady trees behind the unprotected beach
and during low tide a wide ridge-runnel feature is exposed (Figure 6.169). The beach is
still very attractive and popular with visitors. Looking for a parking space during holiday
weekends can be a problem. Small shops and a toilet block and beach operators offering a
wide range of services add to the attraction of this beach.
Figure 6.169. Blue Lagoon beach during low and high tide
Towards the south, the beach is backed by private properties usually protected by a
seawall. At the southern end is ILHAM Resort. Mangroves colonized the sheltered
southern end and in front of Tg. Tuan headland are coral reefs (Figure 6.170).
Figure 6.170. Southern sheltered end of Blue Lagoon colonized by mangroves
The southern end used to be swampy with mangrove peat and ferruginous beach rock.
The sedimentary sequence consisting of peat inter-layered with sand records the
depositional history of the coast. This segment of the coast was retreating in the 1970s.
The coastline here now occupied by ILHAM and a private property is now protected by
high interlocking wall or a high sea wall. An outfall discharges into the sea at the
southern boundary of ILHAM. Mangroves have started to colonize the muddy areas here.
Not all development in Blue lagoon has been successful. A beach-front project beside
ILHAM, abandoned for many years, is an eyesore. Some of the features described are
shown in Figure 6.171.
Low sea walls protecting private property
and discharge across beach
ILHAM and interlocking wall
Concrete outfall
Boat ramp and mangroves
Figure 6.171. Coastal characteristics of south segment of Blue lagoon
Beach Profile: Beach profile monitoring recorded linear beach face slope of 7.3 degrees
and an intertidal slope of 0.98 degrees. Over the monitoring period the profile form and
slope persisted and there was minimal change (Figure 6.172). A slight beach accretion
was detected.
Height in mean sea level
(metres)
LAGP1
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
-0.5 0
24/04/06
18/11/06
HAT
MHWS
23/02/07
17/6/07
6/9/2007
10
20
30
40
50
Distance in metres
Figure 6.172. Result of beach profile monitoring LAGP1
Natural Defense Assets: The conspicuous ridge-runnel bars provide good protection
against wave attack. Local segments are also protected by mangroves, rocky platforms
and boulder beaches.
Coastal Interests: The tombolo, fringing corals and well developed intertidal ridgerunnel forms are features of geomorphic interest. The contrasting wet sands and red sands
on different sides of the tombolo is also of particular interest.
Coastal Issues: Past and Present: The long history of development also means a long list
of issues related to coastal development. The earlier projects before the implementation
of EIA in Malaysia were particularly harmful to Blue Lagoon. Fortunately the problems
have largely been resolved. Current issues would include the abandoned structures behind
the beach, proper zoning of water use to avoid possible conflicts and proper protection of
the fringing corals (Figure 6.173).
Beach front abandoned structures
Water scooters have been banned on many
beaches
Gravels from construction works polluting
the beach
White beach turning red
Figure 6.173. Issues past and present of Blue Lagoon
Recommendations: It is strongly recommended the fringing corals which represent rare
examples of corals along the mainland coast of peninsular Malaysia be brought under
official protection.
C2S6M3 Rachado West
Rachado West is a rocky coast which also consists of several pocket beaches separated by
spurs running into the sea to form rocky headlands separates Port Dickson Cell from
Pasir Panjang Cell. These two cells differ greatly in coastal characteristics and are
separated by Pulau Intan in front of Tg. Tuan headland. The whole coastal sector is part
of Melaka but administered by Negeri Sembilan. This coast is best known for the quartz
intrusion and the lighthouse. The forested headland is protected under federal law and is
well known for the migratory raptors. Despite expression of intent to protect the fringing
corals, these still remain unprotected. In Rachado West are three prominent headland and
two minor headlands.
The coast from the first headland to the second headland which is intruded by a thick vein
of quartz has a shallow bay lined by a wide pocket beach and an elongated narrow beach.
Offshore is a broad zone of fringing corals. Coralline sands accumulate along the south
end of the bay (Figure 6. 174).
Figure 6.174. Quartz intruded headland and narrow beach with fringing corals
At the tip of the headland are pinnacles of quartz-like looking rocks that give the
headland a spectacular rugged appearance (Figure 6.175). This coast does not appear to
be easily accessible from land. Small crafts can however easily land on the beaches.
Figure 6.175. Rock pinnacles at the tip of the quartz intruded headland
The coast from the quartz-intruded headland to the small promontory is mainly a cliffed
coast with rocky boulders along its base but towards the southern end is a small pocket
beach (Figure 6.176). The fringing corals appear to be poorly developed her, being absent
along the promontory and showing a narrow fringe southwards in front of the pocket
beach. The high white cliffs are cut in quartz which probably forms the whole
promontory.
Figure 6.176. High cliffs of quartz and small pocket beach
The coast between the two shallow promontories is overlooked by the lighthouse (Figure
6.177). The coastal forests come right down to the rocky coast of ironstone boulders with
a narrow stretch behind towards the south. The fringing corals are better developed here.
The coast is inaccessible from land.
Figure 6.177. Rocky coast between two shallow promontories
The coast continuing southwards to Pulau Intan is characterized by a well developed
broad fringing coral reef and towards the island are wide broad beaches which probably
form a tombolo linking Pulau Intan to Tg. Tuan (Figure 6.178). Elsewhere the coast is
rocky with low cliff development locally. The separate sediment compartment west and
east of Pulau Intan is clearly demonstrated by the clear water to the west and murky water
to the east. Away from Pulau Intan eastwards the beach sands become reddish indicating
a different mineral provenance.
Figure 6.178. Pulau Intan marks the boundary between Port Dickson and Pasir Panjang
Cell
Recommendation: This coastal sector is part of Melaka and no recommendation is made
for this integrated shoreline management plan for Negeri Sembilan. Presently the forested
headland is protected under federal law and is an important tourist destination for bird
watchers.