BAKO: The RM6.5 million Bako river estuary dredging project will begin after the 14th General Election (GE14). Barisan Nasional’s (BN) candidate for Santubong Parliamentary, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said that the project aims to solve the issue of shallow river estuary which has made it difficult for fishermen to move about in the river.
“The public does not know about this problem (the shallow river estuary) because only fishermen who descend to the sea know this problem, “Therefore, villagers do not know that we will spend RM6.5 million for thi s e x cavat ion work and we have informed the vi l lagers about this project,” he said during a walkabout s e s s i o n Kampung Bako Hilir, Tengah and Hulu here yesterday. Wan Junaidi, who is also the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, intends to implement the dredging project at the river estuary at the village’s downstream area.
“I also plan to replace the bridges and jetties in this village with floating jetty which floats according to the tides,” he said, adding that the jetty built by villagers from Batang Nibong was not practical as it would sink to the riverside during tides.
He also revealed that an embankment would be built on the shores of the river to prevent the water from flooding into the villagers’ house. “The road will be upgraded to enable vehicles to enter after the bridge is completed,” said Wan Junaidi, adding that he would secure an allocation of RM50 million for the purpose of upgrading the village’s infrastructure in the future. The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment also expressed his confidence that once the bridge is completed, much of the development would be channelled to the villagers.
“The government will develop the village once the bridge is ready as it will bring many changes to the village,” he said, adding that job opportunities would also increase for the locals. In this regard, Wan Junaidi hoped that the local residents would be given the opportunity to work in their own areas to allow socioeconomic development as the village is seen as a traditional village which has not been affected by development.
