DID looking into Kinarut river erosion
Published on: Friday, September 11, 2020
By: Sidney Skinner
THE Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) is looking into a complaint about the destabilisation of the land along a section of a Kinarut river (pic).ZIE, who lives in Kg Sunduzon, said the erosion of the river-bank was causing depressions to form in parts of his land.ADVERTISEMENT
“More and more of the soil, closer to the river, has gradually been giving way,” he said.
“I want to build a house on the property but am afraid to do so. I fear the structure will be unsafe for me and my family to live in if the erosion continues.”
He said there was a care-taker who lived on the property.
“Even he has expressed alarm about the volume of land which is being washed away as the river-bank seems to be getting nearer and nearer to his home.”ADVERTISEMENT
Zie said the tendency of the river to overflow during the rainy season had aggravated the destabilisation of the land.
“Many of my fruit trees have died because of these floods.
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“This has been truly frustrating to me given the time and money spent over the years to nurture these trees.”
Zie hoped the local authorities would intervene to prevent the erosion from “eating into” more of the property.
“I understand that maintenance work is due to be carried out on the river. However, cleaning the river is not enough.
“I feel that alternative action needs to be taken to stabilise the land so that more of the river-bank is not washed away.”
He hoped the Department would weigh up the possibility of having a gradient-wall along the sections of the river-bank which were closest to his land.
Zie related his concerns in writing to DID in September. He provided Hotline with a copy of this letter which was forwarded to the agency.
A DID spokesman said the relevant section would be informed about this matter.
“We will have to assess the level of the erosion taking place along the river, before deciding how best to remedy this problem,” he said.
“If need be we might consider having the banks fortified.
“This may help to stabilise the riverside and prevent more of the land-owner’s property from being carried away by the rain-water.”Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Bank-protection work was carried by the Department’s office in Papar a few years ago to minimise similar erosion along a section of Sg Limputong.
At the time, this action involved a 75-metre stretch of the river-bank.