MIRI – Torrential rain has turned rural roads in Sarawak into mud streams as the monsoon season enters its peak.
It was a very wet morning for those in the interior of northern Sarawak.
The badly affected areas are the interior of Marudi, the Tinjar and Bakong sub-districts, and the upper reaches of Baram.
Travelling by road into these remote areas is a dangerous endeavour during monsoon season as these rural unpaved roads turn into streams of mud.
Residents told The Vibes today that travellers are stuck in the interior roads.
Isak Ngau, a resident of Long Sipiling longhouse, said the road conditions are in extremely bad shape.
“Teruk betul. Susah mahu jalan atau pakai kereta. Banyak kereta terkandas (It is bad. Very difficult to travel in vehicles or by foot. Many cars are stuck),” he said.
Long Sipiling is in the Baram district and is about six hours by road from here.
It also is one of more than 500 longhouses in Baram, which is roughly the size of Pahang.
In the Marudi-Tinjar areas, the rural roads are not any better due to the heavy rain.
The monsoon season, locally known as “landas” in Sarawak, is between November and the end of February.
It causes a lot of hardship every year as roads remain unpaved. – The Vibes, January 3, 2021
