A section of the Pan Borneo Highway feeder road in the Belaga district of Sarawak has collapsed due to heavy rain, resulting in several communities being cut off from the neighbouring town, Kapit.
This led Sarawak PKR information chief Abun Sui Anyit to call for quality inspections of the Pan Borneo Highway and existing sewers around it to ensure it is able to withstand rainy conditions during the wet season.
Sui said the feeder road in Murum was relatively new and had only been used for less than ten years, leading to questions on whether it was built to the right quality and specifications.
“What is surprising is that the culvert that is in the affected area looks small in comparison to the river that exists there.
“Indeed, this situation needs to be inspected as it does not work well, especially when there are a lot of sediments from the forest upstream that flow in during the rainy and flood seasons.
“The sewers cannot hold large quantities of water, which results in it spilling onto the road causing it to be sealed off,” he said in a statement today.
In a video shared by Sui, volumes of water are seen spilling onto the already collapsed feeder road.
It is unclear when the road collapsed but the Kapit Public Works Department said it was caused by heavy rain which started yesterday.
Among the settlements affected by this were Long Wat, Long Malim Penan, Long Malim Kenyah, Long Magan dan Long Lawen in Tegulang.
Long Peran, Long Menapa, Long Luar, Long Tangau, Long Singu in the Metalun area are also affected.
Sui added that palm oil plantations were also dependent on the affected road in Murum. However, a temporary road diversion has been created for locals who intend to get to either side of the affected area.
The Kapit Public Works Department has also issued a public notice informing the temporary closure of the road, dubbed CH13+300.
It said it would notify the re-opening of the road after repair work was completed.
“Repair work is underway to ensure that the road can be used again by the public.
“The public is advised to obey the safety signs and directions provided around the area,” it said. - Mkini
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