LANGKAWI, Dec 27 – The government has allocated RM13.4 million under the Eleventh Malaysia Plan (RMK11) to upgrade facilities in Pulau Payar, situated about 40km southwest of Langkawi. Natural Resources and Environment Deputy Minister Datuk Hamim Samuri said, the allocation was to upgrade facilities to preserve biodiversity and upgrade interesting places in Pulau Payar.
“We have suggested that the biomass dispose method would be used to manage wastage from the tourism activities here, as one of the ways to preserve the biodiversity. With an area of 31.2 hectares and 3.32km of white sandy beaches, Pulau Payar has the potential to increase its Total Economic Value (TEV) through tourism activities, fishing and environment services,” he said.
“In the meantime, in the previous research also showed that Pulau Payar had been recorded RM174 millions of TEV in a year and through the upgrading efforts (under RMK11), the value could be increased by up to five per cent a year in the future,” he told reporters after his working visit to the island here.
