SIBU: A fire station needs to be built in Sungai Asap in Belaga following two fires which destroyed two longhouses in five months.
This was pointed out by Hulu Rejang Part Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Division publicity chief Umie Liau said today.
A fire station equipped with adequate manpower and sufficient equipment should be built without delay to meet the dire needs of the area, added Umie, resident of the area, in her press statement.
She said in November 2018, Uma Bakong, 30-door Kenyah longhouse in Sg Asap, was razed to the ground.
On April 15, 2019, 407 people were made homeless when two
blocks of longhouses at the Sungai Asap Resettlement scheme were totally destroyed in a 6pm fire.
Umie said the two fires clearly showed that by the time firemen from Bintulu arrived at the scenes, they could not do much.
“Residents in the Sg Asap area need the service of Bintulu fire station in time of distress. Depending on the driving speed and the traffic, it takes between 2 1/2 hours to three hours for the firemen to arrive at Sg Asap,” she added.
The Sg Asap community, Umie pointed out, had made huge sacrifices in moving out from their original longhouses in the upper Balui River to the Bakun Resettlement Scheme (BRS) in 1998.
“They had to do so as to make way for the construction of the Bakun Dam. Until now, the government still has no plan to build a fire station at Sg Asap. Why is this so?” she asked.
Umie appealed to the government to look into the matter urgently.
She also appealed to members of the public and organisations
to donate to the fire victims so that they could buy basic items.
Donations can be made to the RHB bank account: 111-052-003-7279-0 under the name of “Persatuan Anak-anak Daleh Belaga.”
Donors are advised to notify Umie at 012-880 6276 after depositing the donations.
