MIRI – The latest round of floods in the northern Sarawak interior lasting a week is the direct result of excessive logging, said a local environmental group.
Baram People’s Action Committee chairman Philip Jau said the major floods in the state these days are a consequence of decades of timber being felled.
State government leaders must heed these warning signs from nature, he told The Vibes.
“Widespread logging has been happening for decades in Baram. It has resulted in the depletion of forests and affected the soil cover. This is why every time it rains heavily, the rivers overflow, resulting in floods.
“Such massive flooding is getting more widespread and can last days at a time. Even mountainous terrains are seeing floods. All these are warning signs from nature.”
He said state leaders have failed to explain to the public why floods have increased in frequency.
“We the rakyat have suffered a lot from these floods. Our daily lives are disrupted. We have to keep moving our property inside our longhouses. We see our crops submerged every few months. And yet, our elected politicians offer no solution.”
The state Fire and Rescue Department said reports from various stations showed that floodwaters are slowly receding, but many settlements in the Baram and Apoh Tutoh localities remain inundated.
Willie Kajan, a social and environmental activist, said at least 30,000 people are affected by the latest flooding.
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Among the worst-hit areas are in Telang Usan and Mulu districts in the Baram parliamentary constituency, as well as Tutoh Apoh in Marudi district.
“Feedback from the ground indicates that about 20,000 people in about a dozen settlements in Baram and at least 10,000 in numerous Tutoh Apoh settlements are affected by the floods this time. This is the third time we have been hit by severe floods this year.”
The tour guide, who hails from the Berawan ethnic community, often travels between his home in Mulu National Park and Miri, a distance of some 200km.
He said the situation has yet to ease in many areas, with some settlements submerged under 1m of floodwaters.
“The rivers are still at very high levels, and the rain continues on and off.”
The worst-hit settlements in Baram over the past week are Long Panai, Long Aton, Long San, Lio Mato, Long Bemang, Long Jeeh, Long Subeng, Long Bedian, Long Wat and Long Lama.
The bad weather has worsened northern Sarawak’s battle with Covid-19, with a surge in cases recorded in flooded districts over the past month.
Three virus deaths have been reported in Telang Usan. – The Vibes, July 21, 2021
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