Kuala Tutoh Residents Plead For Urgent Solution To Riverbank Collapse Threat
KUALA TUTOH: The issue of the collapsing banks of the Baram River, which affects the residents of Kampung Kuala Tutoh, has been brought to attention as the land movement is inching closer to the settlement area and threatening the safety of the local community's longhouse.
The Deputy Minister in the Premier of Sarawak’s Department (Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring) and Mulu Assemblyman, Datuk Gerawat Gala, said his office has taken immediate action by contacting the relevant agencies as soon as the issue was reported.
“As a result, an initial mitigation project involving the construction of a river defence structure, valued at nearly RM700,000, was implemented. Nevertheless, this measure is only temporary and is unable to completely restrain the active land movement,” he said during the 'Leader Meets People' and Thanksgiving Prayer Ceremony in Kuala Tutoh on Saturday.
According to residents, the continuous collapse has caused significant cracks in the structure of the longhouse, making the situation increasingly critical and posing a high risk, particularly to the safety of the families residing in the area.
Technical studies conducted by the Department of Geoscience Malaysia and the Public Works Department (JKR) found that the soil structure in the area contains active groundwater, causing the collapse process to occur gradually and making it difficult to control using conventional methods.
Following the latest technical assessment, residents have been advised to relocate to a new, safer settlement.
However, efforts to construct a replacement longhouse have not yet been realised because the application under the Government Disaster Fund has not received approval, pending strict evaluation procedures.
While awaiting the government's decision, he also suggested that the affected residents consider applying for a housing loan through the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) as advance capital for the construction of temporary or new dwellings in a safer location.
The ceremony was also attended by representatives from the Miri Division Resident’s Office, the Department of Geoscience Malaysia, JKR, the Highland Development Agency (HDA), and the Orang Ulu community leaders. - UKASnews
