Soil erosion near Sg Mening bridge gives rise to fears over bridge safety

The arrow indicates the spot where soil erosion is getting serious.
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BAKUN, Oct 7: The authority concerned has been urged to look into a soil erosion problem that is affecting the community bridge in Sungai Mening near Bakun Resettlement Scheme.

A resident of Sungai Asap, Umie Liau, expressed fears that if nothing is done to address the matter, the bridge might collapse.

“During heavy rain, the water current will be very swift, that will cause soil erosion at the foot of the bridge to become more serious. No one has seen this matter until I saw it last week,” revealed Umie who is also the chairwoman of the Kenyah Uma Baha Women’s Association Sibu.

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She said the 150-metre-long bridge is used daily by residents of many longhouses who are mostly Kenyah and Kayan to cross the river.

“The bridge is an important mode of communication (sic) for the people here. Without it, life will be at a standstill,” she asserted.

However the soil erosion problem is making it dangerous to use the bridge.

Umie also wants the authority to take action against litterbugs who have been discarding rubbish near the bridge.

“There are no rubbish bins here. Every time when people picnic near the bridge, they will just simply dump empty bottles and other items onto the ground,” she revealed.

She added that there are also broken bottles which pose a serious danger to kids who follow their guardians to go swimming in the river.

“With empty bottles everywhere, the place has become a potential mosquito breeding ground,” she highlighted. ā€” DayakDaily

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