Please Don’t Sweep Everything Under The Carpet!

The Luak Bay Esplanade, 11km south of Miri by the coastal highway, has an attractive 7-kilometre white sand beach, making it a popular spot for outings, picnics and barbecues.

With ample parking spaces and a public toilet, it is the most popular beach spot In Miri after Taman Selera. There are stalls selling drinks and local delights such as keropok lekor, fritters and barbecue chicken.

Borneo Post published an article in November 2013 lamenting on the indiscriminate littering at the esplanade as its reporter found the esplanade littered with bamboo skewers, plastic and paper bags, paper cups, cigarette butts and other rubbish.

I dropped by the esplanade this morning to have a stroll. There were only a few persons there apart from some workers doing some construction work. I only saw a couple of cars in the car park.

Alighting from my car, I was thinking to myself that the place looked clean and tidy. Miri City Council must have taken action after the Borneo Post report in 2013. I made my way to the beach.

After being badly stung by sandflies during my visit to Hawaii Beach a couple of weeks ago, I came prepared today , wearing a pair of long trousers instead of Bermuda shorts and applying insect repellent ointment on my hands. Once on the beach, I saw lots of sandflies flying around my legs.

Oh yes, the beach looked beautiful with its white sand. There was some rubbish here and there but the littering was not serious. A Miri City Council worker was driving a truck along the beach, presumably clearing the rubbish that had washed ashore.

Out in the sea, I could see a couple of small fishing boats. The sea was calm. I hope the fishermen had bountiful catches of fish.

Casuarina trees, palm trees and coconut trees adorn the beach. Benches, barbecue spots and a few sheds are scattered around the esplanade. I was able to spot a few types of flowers. I even saw a small mound of earth that looks a termite nest.

There is a watchtower but I could not gain access to it as it was locked. I think the tower is manned by some staff from 9am till 7pm on weekends and public holidays only. A few signs with coloured flags warnings can be seen at a few spots. I think the public has to look at the watchtower to see what colour flag is being displayed and take the necessary precautions.

I was walking along the tree-lined road away from the beach when I thought of seeing whether there were any nice flowers and plants along the roadside. It was then that I discovered the terrible truth. Behind the roadside plants, litters abound. It was a real eyesore. The esplanade looked reasonably clean because the rubbish had been dumped behind the roadside plants and bushes. This is a classical case of sweeping everything under the carpet. I don’t want to speculate on who is the real culprit behind this.

Finding the bountiful rubbish behind the roadside plants really dampened the good feeling that I had earlier. It was time to go.