By Marlynda Meraw
KUCHING, Aug 16: While the Pan Borneo Highway (LPB) is transforming travel and connectivity across Sarawak, littering has been a concern threatening to mar this landmark achievement.
Discarded plastic bottles, food wrappers, and other rubbish have become an increasingly common sight along certain stretches, tarnishing the beauty of the route and reflecting poorly on public awareness of environmental care.
As of March 2025, Federal Works Minister Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi shared that Phase 1 of the project in Sarawak, spanning 786km in total, is nearly completed and open for public use.
Phase 1 is divided into 11 work packages, nine of which have already been opened to road users. Two remaining sections are still in progress, including one expected to be finished by the end of 2025, and a redesigned 4km stretch in Lambir targeted for completion by October 2027.
Today, the highway stands as one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects Sarawak has ever seen.
Progress isn’t just a number—twin lanes of asphalt where once were rough and bumpy ways have cut Kuching-Sibu travel from over eight hours to under five. The improved connectivity is boosting tourism and trade, while also enhancing healthcare access for rural communities, enabling patients to reach specialist facilities in larger towns more easily.
The LPB represents more than just physical infrastructure. It symbolises progress, unity, and opportunity for all Sarawakians. Cleanliness and environmental responsibility must accompany connectivity.
Litter along the highway is not an inevitable by-product of development, but rather the result of choices we make as individuals. As Sarawakians, we have a shared responsibility to preserve the beauty and functionality of this vital road.
Keeping the LPB clean is not only about civic pride, but also about safeguarding our State’s image, protecting the environment, and ensuring this milestone remains a source of pride for generations to come.
DayakDaily readers can watch a video on keeping the Pan Borneo Highway clean via our YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok channels. The video is currently available in Sarawak Malay, with the English version to be released on Aug 17, followed by the Iban version on Aug 18.
— DayakDaily
