Assessing the Impacts of Sea Level Rise on Coastal Vulnerability and Awareness of the Communities in Pahang and Selangor

Abstract

Sea level rise has emerged as one of the most critical threats and most concerning challenges to the sustainable development of coastal areas as a result of the considerable influence of climate change. Currently, the rise in sea level is exerting a significant impact on coastal regions as it leads to coastal inundation and degradation. Thus, it is of utmost significance to examine the state of our coastal ecosystem, considering its susceptibility to the rising sea level and the consequential socioeconomic implications for coastal communities. In this study, a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods were utilized to evaluate the effects of the rising in sea level on the proneness of the coastal vulnerability and the socio-economic status of the coastal communities in Selangor and Pahang. A survey questionnaire was employed to evaluate the perspectives and understanding of the chosen coastal communities concerning the consequences of sea level rise on their socioeconomic activities. Through the on-site observation along the Selangor and Pahang coastline and overlaying this information onto the satellite image, the map of the coastal vulnerability index (CVI) were produced. Along the Pahang and Selangor coastline, 9 out of 14 management unit were between very high and high vulnerability. Which revealed that the states of Pahang and Selangor is situated at a remarkable high level of vulnerability in relation to sea level rise. Moreover, alterations in the shoreline have consequential impacts such as coastal flooding and coastal erosion that are not restricted to the coastal region alone, but rather, they extend to the socioeconomic status of the neighbouring towns. This study brought to light various consequences of sea level rise, however, the majority of the coastal towns remained oblivious to the underlying causes. These discoveries will provide advantageous to the local authorities in managing and developing the coastal region, particularly in mitigating the repercussions on the coastal population.