Illegal Swiftlet houses rampant in George Town

by Lee Chin Poh
(George Town, Penang, Malaysia)

There are more than 150 illeal swiftlet houses in George Town under the UNESCO World Heritage Site. From the state govt statictics, only 28 have temporary licence to operate and all have expired 2 years back.

I had the "privilege' to view the interior of a siwftlet house at Kimberly St & was shocked to see how filthy and smelly it became with bird droppings piling on the floor and smearing on the wall.

A famous "tongsui" desert drinks refreshment shop is operating downstair. The worst part is the installation of water pool & water humidifiers inside the blacken enclosed rooms. The dampness on the wall was obvious & badly affects the wall structure.

I pity the neighbours who share the common wall with this inconsiderate and selfish swiftlet house owner. I pray hard that H5N1 will not occur in George Town, because the residents including myself will have no chance to escape any birdflu outbreak.