| Chris Reubens Friday, 29 October 2010 14:26 |
COMMENT Malaysia's longest river - the Rajang in Sarawak - is a source of food, income and a mean of transport for the people living along the 640km waterway.
Once the pride of Sarawak, the Rajang is now old and sick with years of abuses, mostly man-made. And recently, there's growing fear that the water level is running low. It has reached a critically low point as reported.
On Oct 8, the Rajang was suffocated with logjam causing losses of RM2.7 million after bridges and jetties were swept away with tons of debris, about 70km from Kapit. It affected cargo services and express passenger boats for a few days.
Fed by several tributaries, the river is regarded as a lifeline for the people living along it, from Sibu to the interior districts of Kanowit, Song, Kapit and Belaga.
Also, rubbish and debris from residents situated near the rivers, planks and unwanted logs from the jungles had taken its toll on the mighty river which is brownish instead of being clear and a clean source of water.
It has always been a joke among frequent flyers who view the river from the air and boat travellers along the river, that if you want a glass of "teh-si", all you need is to scoop it from the Rajang River.
The Upper Rajang River is known as Batang Balui by the Orang Ulu with tributaries which included Katibas River, Balleh River and Bangkit River.
Deputy Chief Minister Dr. George Chan said the state government has yet to ascertain the loss to the ecological system as the Sarawak Natural Resources and Environment Board and Sarawak Rivers Board are still doing their investigation.
Read more at http://www.malaysianmirror.com/media-buzz-detail/41-opinion/50232-the-mighty-rajang-river-not-so-mighty-after-all
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