By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Dec 7: Residents of Kampung Kuala Tutoh are on edge as the banks of the Baram River continue to collapse, threatening their longhouse and the safety of families living there.
According to a report by Sarawak Public Communication Unit (UKAS), Datuk Gerawat Gala, Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring) and Mulu assemblyman, said his office acted immediately after the problem was reported.
“An initial mitigation project worth nearly RM700,000 has been carried out to build a temporary river defence structure.
“But this is only a short-term solution and cannot stop the active land movement,” he reportedly said during the ‘Leader Meets People’ and Thanksgiving Prayer Ceremony yesterday (Dec 6).
UKAS further reported that the ongoing erosion has caused deep cracks in the longhouse, making the situation increasingly critical.
Technical studies by the Department of Geoscience Malaysia and the Public Works Department (JKR) found that active groundwater in the soil is causing gradual collapses, which are difficult to control with conventional methods.
Authorities have advised residents to relocate to safer ground. However, plans to build a replacement longhouse are still pending, as the Government Disaster Fund application awaits approval following strict evaluation procedures.
While awaiting government action, Gerawat suggested affected families consider housing loans from the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to help finance temporary or new homes in safer areas. – DayakDaily
