Villagers living by Lawas River in fear as erosion washes away their land

A now-abandoned house belonging to one of the villagers, which has partly collapsed into the river.

MIRI (Oct 7): Villagers of Kampung Mission Baru located by Lawas River are living in fear as erosion has washed away acres of their land over the years.

Headman Ating Rupan, 79, when contacted yesterday said six houses had collapsed into the river since 2019 and the situation has worsened in recent weeks as heavy rain increased the flow and level of the river.

“Now we are worried for our church and a few other houses, including my own house, which are situated very close to the riverbank.

“The church for instance is about seven metres from the riverbank now, while some of the houses are just five metres away from the riverbank,” said Ating.

“The government did put up sand bags at the riverbank some time ago, but they are long gone and since then there has been no protection against the erosion,” he added.

Ating (left) and a villager measure the distance between the river and the paved road in the village.

Ating claimed that he had also requested assistance from the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID).

“I had also requested assistance from (Deputy Chief Minister and Bukit Sari assemblyman) Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan and (Lawas MP) Datuk Henry Sum, but they told me that it is going to cost a lot,” he said.

The headman said he is turning to the state government to look into a long-term solution to the problem; otherwise the village may one day be washed away by the river.

“I am making this appeal on behalf of my people here, because they are living in fear as the river is edging closer to their house.”

from Borneo Post Online https://bit.ly/3AjPU2e
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