AS THE travel rush begins for thousands of rural Sarawak folks heading home to their longhouses over Christmas, many in the northern areas find themselves getting caught en masse along timber roads turned into rivers of mud.
The affected roads in the upper Baram district have turned into muddy deluges due to heavy rain and flash floods in recent weeks.
Large number of travellers got stuck when they ventured into the dangerous routes, causing their vehicles to become caught in deep mud.
The Vibes has been alerted to the latest situation by Baram social activist Willie Kajan.
Kajan said his family, relatives and friends are among those caught in the middle of a river of mud.
He managed to get to a location near a telecommunications tower to send photos and messages to this reporter.
"The situation is very bad, as there are a big number of people trapped in the midst of these timber roads that have become rivers of mud,” he said.
"There are many routes affected. Imagine if a flash flood happens now.
"Many affected routes are trunk roads, but they are also (serving as) link roads to a big number of populated longhouses.”
The trunk routes that are badly affected include the routes between Ulu Baram and Long Lellang, Baram and Bario Highlands, and Ulu-Baram to the Tutoh sub-district, he said.
Asked about the condition of those stranded on the routes, he said they cannot move in or out of the affected areas as the mud that has caked around their vehicles is about a metre deep.
When contacted, state assemblyman for Telang Usan, Dennis Ngau, said that based on information he received the badly affected roads are those in the upper reaches of Baram district, further beyond the Mulu National Park and closer to the Bario mountains.
Mulu assemblyman Datuk Gerawat Gala, when contacted, said he has been alerted to the latest situation.
"I am looking into the situation and will see how to help," he said, adding that he is not sure yet how many are caught.
Rural Sarawak has more than 6,000 longhouses resided by about a million rural folks out of the three million that make up Sarawak’s population.
A large number of rural folks from these longhouses are working in cities and towns.
They travel home into their remote settlements by the thousands during festive seasons like Gawai and Christmas.
This year Christmas falls on Monday. Many need to be back in time for prayers and family gatherings on Sunday, which is the eve of the religious day. – The Vibes, December 22, 2023
