Inanam hanging bridges repaired
Published on: Friday, January 06, 2023
By: Sidney Skinner
This handicapped senior citizen struggles to make his way up the remaining planks leading to this Inanam hanging bridge.
INANAM folk, who rely on two hanging bridges to cross the river which runs through one part of Kg Kionsom, can now do this without fear of falling into the running water underneath as City Hall has repaired both these structures.One of the bridges helps some of the 200 youngsters in the area get to Sekolah Kebangsaan Kionsom on foot.
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A City Hall spokesman said the bridges were attended to shortly after a check conducted by Engineering Department personnel early last month.
“Our officers found that parts of the wire mesh, handhold cables and some of the boards on the walkway, as well stairs, needed to be replaced,” he said.
Rust had eaten through the metal of the former while the wood of the latter had decayed, according to him.
This pupil clutches the handhold to steady herself while trying to cross the hanging bridge to reach SK Kionsom.
“The structural integrity of this material is likely to have deteriorated due to the recurring water damage which happens when it rains heavily and the river swells.
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He explained that the bridges were erected as part of a ‘projek infrastruktur asas/ awam (basic/ public infastructure project)” carried out by a federal economic planning unit in 2018.
“These structures may be phased out at some point in the future, with concrete bridges being put up in their place.”
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Concrete bridges would require less maintenance and also cater for vehicular traffic, according to him.
The spokesman said a City Hall contractor began putting new boards in place on the day following the preliminary inspection.
“The individual’s workers also changed and tightened the wire mesh and cables where needed.
“On top of this, paint was applied to the base of the bridge, including the boards, and handholds to mitigate any wear and tear to these fixtures.”
He said it took close to a week for the contractor to complete this remedial work.
“Maintenance is performed on the bridges as and when it becomes necessary to do so.
“To this, end we hope the public will inform us directly of any irregularities involving these structures so that action can be taken to address these problems as soon as possible.”
Workers with City Hall’s contractor check the strength of the wire mesh on the bridge leading to the school.
The spokesman was responding to plea from two Inanam rate-payers about the sorry state of the two hanging bridges.
PEETA of Inanam said most of the boards on the walkway for the bridges had rotted away or were missing.
Some of the pieces of wood that remain have come away from the nails to which they had been secured, according to him.
He said there were also boards which had splintered and looked as if they could give way under the weight of those who use the bridges.
“On top of this, the planks slant at an angle or flip when you trod on them,” he said.
“Users, who are unaware of this, could easily lose their footing and twist their ankle or, worse still, fall into river below.”
He said many of those living in Kg Kionsom felt that the bridges were hazardous to users, including children, as they looked as if they could give way at any time.
The kids used the one closer to their primary school to attend their classes, according to him.
Peeta claimed to have related his concerns to the village’s Security and Development Committee chairman on numerous occasions, but, so far, nothing had been done to improve the condition of the bridges.
NATE of Inanam said an elderly “orang kurang upaya (handicapped man)” depended on one of the bridges to travel to a medical institution near the town.
“He has to go for dialysis regularly,” he said.
“One of his neighbours has to be on standby, when he crosses the bridge to go for and come back from this treatment just, so that he doesn’t accidentally fall and hurt himself.”
Nate brought the plight of this senior citizen to City Hall’s attention in December.
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