River disaster hits Sarawak

By PHILIP HII
philiphii@thestar.com

SIBU: A major environmental disaster is unfolding in the state, as kilometre after kilometre of logs and wood debris flow down the Rajang.

It was believed that heavy rain in the upper reaches of Balleh River – a tributary of the Rajang – had caused landslides at log ponds of a major timber camp and brought down the logs and wood debris.

Kapit businessman Tay Hock Joo, who telephoned The Star in Sibu yesterday evening, said nobody in Kapit had ever seen such an occurrence before.

He said the residents first noticed the debris at about 1pm.

Environmental catastrophe: Tonnes of logs and wood debris drifting down the mighty Rajang River near Kapit Thursday, temporarily trapping a ferry and its passengers.

River transport was cut off when logs and debris started filling the entire width of the river by 4pm.

At 7.30pm, the debris was reported to have reached Song and was expected to hit Sibu early in the morning.

Sibu residents are worried by the extent of damage the logs and wood debris would cause to their properties such as jetties and boats.

“We are also worried whether the foundation of the Durin and Lanang bridges are strong enough to withstand the pressure,” said Sibu resident Simon Ting.

Meanwhile, several government officials said the authorities were unprepared for such an incident as it had never happened before and they also did not have the capacity to stop the wood from flowing downstream towards Sibu.

Source: The Star
URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2010%2F10%2F8%2Fnation%2F7186693&sec=nation