DALAT: Longboats are here to stay in this district although road connectivity has been in place some years ago.
The longboats are still a necessity for most, if not all of the people here.
A survey by New Sarawak Tribune recently found that some local folk especially those staying across Dalat bazaar still use longboats to go to the bazaar for shopping or other purposes.
Many villagers find that using longboats are faster and more convenient than using road as they have to cross a bridge.
For farmers and sago smallholders, they use longboats to go to their farms.
Nowadays longboats are made of fibre glass rather than wood, and mostly equipped with 15-horse power engines of various brands.
“Longboats are here to stay as long the river of Batang Oya flows,” quipped a villager.
