By Chris Bishop & Shikin Louis
BINTULU, Feb 18: The Sarawak government is planning to build wave breaker to resolve the siltation problem at the mouth of Kemena River affecting the movement of the local fishing community.
Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the State government is currently conducting a study on building wave breaker to put an end to the siltation problem at Kuala Kemena.
“This (wave breaker) is already included in our planning. What’s left to do is to find the money for the State.
“If Bintulu MP Dato Sri Tiong King Sing can request this from Putrajaya, it will be even better.
“We (federal and Sarawak governments) can share one-to-one funding to develop Kuala Kemena and then build wave breaker that will be connected up until Bintulu Port,” he said when speaking during Progressive Democratic Party’s (PDP) Chinese New Year (CNY) open house at Bintulu Civic Centre here today.
Earlier, Tiong who is the Federal Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) and PDP president appealed to Abang Johari to consider implementing the deepening of the mouth of Kemena River.
He explained that fishing vessels are being hindered from traversing the river mouth due to certain shallow sections.
Sometimes the boats have to wait for the high tide to return to port safely and some have to rely on a tug boat to pull in their small fishing boats.
Also present at PDP’s CNY Open House were Sarawak Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah; Sarawak Minister of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development (M-FICORD) and Kemena assemblyman Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom; PDP deputy president Datuk Henry Harry Jinep; senior vice president Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil; secretary-general Dato Anyi Ngau; Tanjung Batu assemblyman Johnny Pang; Bawang Assan assemblyman Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh; and Engkilili assemblyman Dr Johnichal Rayong Ngipa. — DayakDaily
