Tekanan Pembangunan di Seberang Perai Tengah,Pulau Pinang: Satu Analisis Terhadap Peluangdan Cabaran Kepada Masyarakat Tempatan

Development Pressures in Seberang Perai Tengah,Penang: An Analysis on Opportunities and Challengesto the Local Communities

Abstract

Urbanization exerts pressure on urban fringe areas causing loss of agricultural lands, especially rice cultivation area. This article discusses the use of Geographic Information Systems on the development of built up areas in Seberang Perai since 1990 and identified areas experiencing intense development pressure. Areas with high development intensity were chosen as the location of the.The study found that Seberang Perai Tengah district, especially in Bukit Mertajam and Juru experienced high development pressures since 1990. The expansion of built up area brought economic opportunities for local communities but also caused lack of interest on agricultural activities among locals and the reduction of agriculture land size. The issue must be addressed in order to prevent urban development from continuing to encroach into agricultural areas. Use of the Irrigation Act to prevent urban development from encroaching onto paddy fields needs to be reviewed as it is less effective in controlling the loss of cultivation areas.