KAPIT: The residents of Taman Thiam Chiong near the town’s sports field are grateful that a river bank protection wall and storm drain project has been approved for their neighbourhood.
The project was approved by Bukit Goram assemblyman Jefferson Jamit Unyat who received complaints after heavy rain last year caused a massive landslide behind the residential houses.
With their support gone, the concrete fences have cracked. Cracks have also appeared in some of the open spaces, thus causing the residents to fear that some of the foundation beams of their houses would be adversely affected.
Firemen, some officials from Kapit District Disaster Management Committee, and Kapit Social Welfare Department had visited the site, but they only covered the affected area with sheets of PVC canvas. This has not prevented further soil erosion.
When Jamit saw the seriousness of the situation, he approved RM200,000 under the Rural Transformation Project to build a protective wall and a storm drain in the area. The contractor began working on the project last year.
Recently, Jamit went to the site “to make sure the contractors do the project properly according to the specifications”.
“I am happy the work is going on smoothly and hope there won’t be any more soil erosion,” he said.
“The house owners were so worried. They told me they had sleepless nights for fear of their safety.”
A house owner, Christina Tiong, thanked Jamit for taking care of his constituents.
“He pays attention to the plight of the people,” she said.
“We are grateful to him for having approved the project. It means so much to us.”
Thus, she and her neighbours promised to support Jamit now and in the future because he did what he promised.
When Jamit inspected the project he was accompanied by Councillor Liew Hui Hua and his assistants from PBB Bukit Goram Service Centre, Edward Manggah and Cochran Alwi Amos, Ambrose Abong Bugek and Kumbong Langit.
Before visiting the wall project, he inspected Kapit Sports Field which is considered a “sick project” because it has been abandoned for a long time by the contractor.
The field was scheduled for completion last December, but work on it has been on and off.
It was Jamit’s third visit to the field whose repair and upgrading started on March 1, 2018.
“Today I saw some workers at the field. During my previous two visits, not even one worker was there,” he said.
“I hope after this, there would be no more delay.”
