MIRI – The collapse of another hillslope in Sarawak due to heavy rain has caused the Melipis-Kapit road to cave in.
This has severed land links for 30,000 people in central Sarawak’s Kapit district. Meanwhile, those affected have gone online to seek help from the state authorities.
“Our road to the outside world is no longer safe for use. Most of the roads have collapsed.
“The roads are not safe to pass through anymore, and the weather is getting worse everyday,” said a posting on the Kapit Community website.
Pictures posted by local residents show the tar-sealed trunk road caving into a ravine, while the side of the hillslope, which the road is built on, has collapsed, exposing a big portion of the hill.
The state assemblyman where the incident occurred, which is in the Baleh state constituency, was the late Tan Sri James Jemut Masing who died on October 31 due to heart complications after having been infected by Covid-19.
A netizen said local residents in the affected area have alerted the Public Works Department.
Two days ago, a similar hillslope erosion in northern Sarawak had caused Km12 of Jalan Samling to cave in.
The incident is in the Telang Usan state constituency in the Baram district.
The weather in the interior has gotten worse, with heavy rain pouring throughout the night and in the wee hours of morning.
Sarawak is facing its 12th state election after ruling coalition Gabungan Parti Sarawak dissolved the state assembly on November 3, paving the way for the Election Commission to set polling within 60 days from that date. – The Vibes, November 12, 2021
