GEORGE TOWN: The sea in Batu Ferringhi became so polluted that it turned brackish grey, but there was no one to blame.
Instead of an emerald sea, beach- goers were greeted yesterday with cloudy water all along the 2km tourism belt.
The grey water that framed the shoreline along the stretch of luxury hotels left many tourists standing in the sand and thinking twice about taking a dip. Only a few ventured into the water or rented water scooters.
Local businessmen alerted The Star yesterday, crying of pollution and even accusing the Batu Ferringhi sewage treatment plant of spewing out filth.
A quick check, however, revealed that the water coming out of the river from the treatment plant was amazingly clearer than the sea.
Only after talking to local fishermen was the mystery, that apparently happens once every two years or so, finally solved: a combination of wind, currents and a storm in Kedah sent brackish water from Sungai Merbok’s estuary on the mainland, 25km north, funnelling directly towards Batu Ferringhi.
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