MIRI – The government has been urged to stop channelling manpower and resources urgently needed for flood rescue efforts towards work for the 15th general election (GE15), as villages and longhouses report devastating damage across northern Sarawak.
Willie Kajan, a native activist, said election preparations should be halted, stressing that the situation will likely get worse.
He told The Vibes that all government resources should be focused on flood mitigation.
“It’s crazy to be having a national election now or even within the next two months,” he said.
“Just look at how serious the floods are in Ulu Baram, where the water level in Long Bedian is going to reach 6ft (1.8m) unless the rain stops.
“The flood there is more than 5ft (1.5m) high now and has almost covered the first floor of the longhouse. The residents have moved all their belongings to the upper floor.
“The government ministries in Sarawak must focus on the food needs of the thousands of victims cut off from the outside world since the floods started last week,” he said.
Kajan is a tour leader with substantial travelling experience in the remote interior of the state.
Community chief Ahmad Zaini of Bekenu district, about 40-km south of Miri, said the flooding was the worst his area has encountered so far.
“It has never flooded so seriously like this before in Bekenu.The damage to our properties and land is very huge.
“Lots of people in many kampung are affected,” he told The Vibes today. “We are scared of the seriousness and the timing of the floods and rain nowadays.”
The first floor of Zaini’s own house was totally flooded.
The people of rural northern Sarawak have sounded out that they need urgent food aid – not ballot papers – as floods have overwhelmed almost all districts and sub-districts.
In the meantime, the welfare authorities in Miri city and Marudi town have started stocking and deploying food aid.
They have been using vehicles and manpower from the Civil Defence Units and Sarawak Fire and Rescue Units to transport tonnes of rice, canned food, noodles, and other dry foodstuffs.
“We are using lorries, four-wheel drive vehicles, and also boats to deliver (aid) to flood victims in places where land transport cannot pass through now,” said Miri/Subis Disaster Management Committee secretary Mirwan Masri.
Floods have almost reached a height of 6ft (1.8m) in numerous populated localities such as Long Bemang in Ulu Baram.
The latest early afternoon data from the Civil Defence Unit, the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department, and the state Disaster Management Committee in northern Sarawak showed continuous rising floods in Tinjar sub-district, as well as in Niah, Subis, and Baram districts.
Longhouses in Tinjar that were already under 4ft (1.3m) of water since yesterday include Rumah Patrick, Rumah Nawek, Rumah Limbang, and Rumah Marinda.
Bekenu town in Subis district saw floods 5ft-high (1.2m) in Kg Dagang while the Rumah Joben longhouse near Bekenu is under 1.2m of water.
In Niah, Kg Lubok and Kg Mutap are inundated by floods 1.2m-high while Kg Belipat and Kg Jenggalas are under 1.1m of water.
The state Disaster Management Committee has already activated flood evacuation centres in Subis and Kapit districts.
Major highway collapses
Meanwhile, the Sarawak Pan Borneo Coastal Highway linking Miri district to Bintulu district and beyond remains unpassable following a collapse two days ago on a section of the route about 35km from Miri city.
The highway collapse saw the whole road broken in half, totally cutting off the route to all vehicles. The broken section is about 100m in length.
Yuni Mat, a fisherman at nearby Kg Nelayan, told The Vibes today that the highway was still cordoned off to all vehicles as it was unpassable.
He said torrential rain must have resulted in the slopes loosening and caving into the ravines below, tearing apart the entire highway.
The coastal highway links Miri to Bintulu and the rest of southern Sarawak.
The alternative route from Miri to Bintulu is via the old Pan Borneo Highway.
Motorists will have to pass through Miri city to enter the old highway that is undergoing major realignment and reconstruction.
To a question, Yuni said Public Works Department officials were still undertaking remedial works at the affected site.
The weather had deteriorated over the past five days, with torrential rain and violent winds happening daily, especially during the late night and early morning hours. – The Vibes, October 13, 2022
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