KUCHING: The log debris incident along the Katibas River and Batang Rajang was caused by landslides resulting from intense localised rainfall, according to Datuk Hamden Mohammad.
The Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) director revealed that FDS has deployed a team since last week to monitor and investigate the incident that occurred in the Ulu Katibas area.
“From our current findings, the floating debris was a result of intense localised rainfall within the Ulu Katibas catchment.
“Satellite data acquired on March 3 showed about 10 sites with major slips or landslides within the Ulu Katibas catchment.
“As of now, the occurrences are in the Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary where no logging activities take place,” he explained.
Speaking to the media after launching the International Conference on Sustainable Management of Tropical Forests here on Wednesday (March 6), Hamden added, “According to Malaysian Meteorological Department (MET) and Hydrological data, the high intensity of localised rain within the catchment could have caused landslides along Sg Nyawai, Sg Takai, and Sg Kalimau Besai, all within the Ulu Katibas Catchment.”
He further stated that, on average, these landslides were about the size of a football field, with numerous occurrences at different sites. FDS is closely monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of villagers.
“We hope that this incident will not pose a danger to the villagers. However, we have observed that the floating debris in this incident consists of small pieces of wood and bark, which are not hazardous for river transportation,” Hamden assured.
On March 3, residents in Song were surprised by the logjam phenomenon in Batang Rajang, with substantial piles of drifting wood noticed around 10am in front of the town’s passenger terminal pier and riverbank.
