Flood-prone gravel road in Baram serving 3,000 residents needs urgent upgrade, say locals

MIRI, Oct 30 — Baram residents are calling for urgent repairs and upgrading of the deteriorating gravel road linking Long Banyok, Long Ekang, Bawang Sibong (Lugan Sibong) and Sebubuh, which serves more than 3,000 people across eight villages and longhouse communities.

Peter Kallang, a Long Ekang resident and SAVE Rivers chairman, said a formal complaint was submitted to the state government on October 10.

“We have submitted a formal complaint calling for urgent repairs and upgrading of the road,” he told The Borneo Post when contacted yesterday.

He added that 256 community members had signed an online petition seeking improvements to the road.

The road connects Long Banyok, Uma Akeh, Long Puak, Long Ekang, Bawang Sibong (Lugan Sibong), Rumah Jilan, Rumah Duri and Sebubuh.

Peter said the road provided Kayan, Kenyah and Iban communities with access to schools, clinics, government offices, markets, the airport, farms and other essential services.

However, its deteriorating condition had raised safety concerns for motorists, motorcyclists and pedestrians.

“The worsening condition of the gravel road is increasingly hazardous to motorists, motorcyclists and pedestrians,” he said.

According to Peter, several low-lying sections between Long Banyok, Long Ekang and Bawang Sibong were frequently flooded.

Residents are calling for these sections to be raised to reduce flooding and ensure safer access, especially during the rainy season.

Another major concern is the Sungai Layak crossing, where an earth-filled section has collapsed and is frequently submerged in water.

Peter said the collapse had forced motorists to use an alternative route that becomes slippery when wet.

“The alternative route is narrow, steep, muddy and dangerous, especially during the rainy season.

“We therefore call for the construction of a proper bridge at the crossing to ensure safer access for the communities,” he added.

He also highlighted concerns about the road near a Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) gas pipeline crossing, where potholes and unstable sections could hamper maintenance work.

He said further deterioration could damage pipeline facilities and pose safety risks, including potential gas leaks.

Petronas Gas had also been notified of the road conditions near the crossing.

Peter urged the relevant authorities to prioritise repairs and upgrading works, warning that delays could compromise residents’ safety, restrict access to essential services, hamper emergency response and disrupt daily economic activities.

In response, caretaker Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier Department (Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring) and Highland Development Agency (HDA) deputy chairman Datuk Gerawat Gala said the road from the Long Lama road junction to Lugan Sibong had been upgraded by the Regional Corridor Development Authority (Recoda), with the works completed in December 2023.

“Upon completion in December 2023, the road was handed over to JKR (Public Works Department) for maintenance,” he said.

On residents’ calls to raise the level of low-lying sections and resurface the road with premix, Gerawat said such improvements would require additional funding as they were not included in the previous upgrading scope.

“Any plan to raise the level of certain sections of the road and resurface them with premix will depend on the availability of funding,” he said.

He added that further upgrading works, including the construction of bridges along the road, would require funding approval under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), the national development plan covering 2026 to 2030. — The Borneo Post

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美里，10 月 30 日讯——巴南居民呼吁紧急维修和升级连接龙巴尼奥克、龙埃康、巴旺西邦（卢甘西邦）和塞布布的破损砂石路，这条路服务于八个村庄和长屋社区的 3000 多人。

龙埃康居民兼拯救河流组织主席彼得·卡朗表示，他们已于 10 月 10 日向州政府提交了正式投诉。

“我们已提交正式投诉，要求紧急维修和升级这条道路，”他昨天在接受《婆罗洲邮报》采访时表示。

他还补充说，已有 256 名社区成员签署了一份网上请愿书，要求改善道路状况。

该公路连接Long Banyok、Uma Akeh、Long Puak、Long Ekang、Bawang Sibong (Lugan Sibong)、Rumah Jilan、Rumah Duri 和 Sebubuh。

彼得说，这条道路为卡扬族、肯雅族和伊班族社区提供了前往学校、诊所、政府办公室、市场、机场、农场和其他基本服务的便利。

然而，其不断恶化的状况引发了对驾车者、摩托车骑手和行人安全的担忧。

他说：“碎石路的路况日益恶化，对驾车者、摩托车骑手和行人来说越来越危险。”

据彼得说，龙巴尼奥克、龙埃康和巴旺西邦之间的几个低洼地区经常发生洪水。

居民们呼吁抬高这些路段，以减少洪水灾害，并确保更安全的通行，尤其是在雨季。

另一个主要问题是拉雅河渡口，那里一段填土路段已经坍塌，经常被水淹没。

彼得说，坍塌事故迫使驾车者改走一条替代路线，这条路线在潮湿时会变得很滑。

“另一条路线狭窄、陡峭、泥泞且危险，尤其是在雨季。”

“因此，我们呼吁在该路口修建一座合适的桥梁，以确保社区居民能够更安全地通行，”他补充道。

他还强调了马来西亚国家石油公司（Petronas）天然气管道穿越点附近道路的担忧，那里的坑洼和不稳定的路段可能会阻碍维护工作。

他表示，进一步恶化可能会损坏管道设施并造成安全风险，包括潜在的天然气泄漏。

马来西亚国家石油天然气公司也已获悉该路口附近的道路状况。

彼得敦促有关当局优先进行维修和升级工程，并警告说，延误可能会危及居民安全，限制获得基本服务的途径，阻碍应急响应，并扰乱日常经济活动。

对此，砂拉越州首相署（劳工、移民和项目监督）看守副部长兼高地发展局（HDA）副主席拿督格拉瓦特·加拉表示，从龙拉玛路口到卢甘西邦的道路已由区域走廊发展局（Recoda）升级改造，工程已于2023年12月完工。

“该道路于 2023 年 12 月竣工后，已移交给公共工程部 (JKR) 进行维护，”他说。

针对居民要求抬高低洼路段并用预拌混凝土重新铺设路面的呼吁，格拉瓦特表示，这些改进措施需要额外的资金，因为它们没有包含在之前的升级改造范围内。

他说：“任何抬高道路某些路段高度并用预拌混凝土重新铺设路面的计划，都将取决于资金的到位情况。”

他还补充说，包括沿线桥梁建设在内的进一步升级工程，需要根据第十三个马来西亚计划（13MP，即2026年至2030年的国家发展计划）获得资金批准。——《婆罗洲邮报》

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