S’wak govt urged to deploy food supplies before floods occur

MIRI – The government has been urged to provide adequate supplies of food stock into rural settlements in Sarawak now, before the bad weather peaks.

A social activist based in the Belaga district, Harry Wing, conveyed this request to the authorities in view of the growing concerns over the coming rainy season.

He told The Vibes today, he had brought up the matter when speaking to the officials at the Belaga district office.

Belaga is located about 500km south of Miri.

“I told them the weather in the interior looks set to worsen soon.

“At the present time, there are still dry days, so now is the right time to deploy food stocks into the deepest pockets.

“In Belaga district, there are numerous populated settlements, a number of them located near the state’s border with Kalimantan.

“The only links connecting them to the outside world are the timber roads.

“These timber roads will turn into rivers of mud once the rain comes in full force.

“Even trucks will not be able to pass through.

“Before that happens, the food stocks must be delivered now as the timber roads are still passable,” Wing said, adding his request echoed that of many rural folk.

“The people in the Belaga district office are agreeable.

“They said they understand the need to get the food stocks in as soon as possible.

“They told me they are making the necessary arrangements,” he said.

Belaga district is the second largest district in Sarawak and the country.

To a question on how often it rains now in the Belaga interior, Wing said at present the sky often looks cloudy.

“On and off, the rain comes in the evening and at night, but there are no floods yet.

“This is the window period to make necessary preparations so that when heavy rains come, and floods happen, those stranded by the floods in the longhouses in the deep locations will have adequate food supplies,” he said.

Wing said the district offices and welfare units should make sure there are enough essentials such as rice, canned food, noodles and cooking oil for each longhouse to last for at least one month of floods.

Sarawak has some 6,000 longhouses scattered throughout the state. – The Vibes, December 22, 2021