By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Feb 23: Other than capturing and storing carbon, mangroves also play an important role in saving lives in the event of tsunamis.
In a statement issued today, Kota Samarahan Municipal Council (MPKS) chairman Dato Peter Minos said had it not been for mangroves, many lives in Langkawi would have been lost in the devastating tsunami that occurred in 2004.
“That was the tsunami that struck Aceh (Indonesia), Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, and Thailand that killed over 200,000 people. That is why saving and replanting mangroves at our beaches is a must,” he said.
He said this during a mangrove seedlings planting programme at a beach off Kampung Jaie at Sadong Jaya, Samarahan, organised by MPKS and volunteers from South Korea.
Minos noted that many villagers joined the programme as they wanted to save their coastal areas from eroding, as well as wanting to preserve the mangroves there.
“As for MPKS, we feel it is our duty to help out with the mangrove seedlings.
“MPKS sees mangroves as lifesavers and, as such, goes along with looking after the beaches and mangroves,” he said.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), mangroves act as natural barriers against tsunamis by absorbing destructive wave energy and acting as a buffer against erosion.
It also contributes to limiting the extent of inundation by floodwaters and allows for such waters to drain quickly. — DayakDaily
