KUCHING, Aug 6: At least 10 villages and two primary schools in Metalun and Tegulang, the interiors of Belaga, would be affected by the collapsed road to Murum Dam.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak information chief Abun Sui Anyit said Long Peran, Long Menapa, Long Luar, Long Tangau, Long Singu and SK Metalun are among the affected areas in Metalun.
In Tegulang, villages or longhouses include Long Wat, Long Malim Penan, Long Malim Kenyah, Long Magan and Long Lawen, while the primary school there is SK Tegulang.
“Other than residential areas, oil palm plantations in the vicinity depend fully on this Murum road. In addition, local and foreign communities who want to travel inland through this road will also be affected,” he said.
Noting that the fractured road is still new and has not been in use for a decade, Abun Sui questioned the quality of the road construction.
Referring to a video showing the road’s condition with river water gushing downwards, he said the culverts installed on that section of the road looked smaller than others.
“This situation begs for a dispute, indeed, because (the culverts) will not work well, especially when there is scum flowing down from the upstream forest areas during the rainy season.
“The small culverts would not be able to hold a large quantity of water, so water will eventually overflow onto the road and cause the road to break,” he said in a statement today.
With this incident, Abun Sui said the government needs to inspect all major projects, including Pan Borneo Highway, to ensure road quality is up to standard.
He said Public Works Department (JKR) should also investigate all existing culvert installations along Pan Borneo Highway to avoid the Murum road incident from repeating itself. — DayakDaily
