Floods hit low-lying areas in Kapit Division

KAPIT: Incessant rain in Kapit Division ( Song, Kapit, Bukit Mabong and Belaga) since middle of last month coupled with water released from Bakun Dam caused some low-lying areas to be inundated with a foot to several metres of water, especially along Rajang and Baleh Rivers here.

It’s common during the annual rainy season to see eroded hill slopes, landslides and flash floods in Kapit’s hilly terrain crossed by numerous rivers.

Some low-lying areas were under water since Thursday evening, including at the estuary of Sungai Kapit ( Kpg Baru and Kpg Muhibbah Bletih), Rumah Champok, Jalan Bukit Goram, Rumah John Rabar, Jalan Sungai Sesibau and Nanga Metah.

At Kpg Baru, a few houses were flooded on Friday morning, which brought Bomba staff to the site to offer assistance.

The worst hit house was that of 49-year- old house owner Awang Hasdi Awang Mohd who has a family of six, including four children.

The worst hit school could be SK Lepong Baleh near Nanga Baleh.

The 300m access road to the school from Jalan Melekun and all low-lying school buildings were under several metres of water, inconveniencing pupils and school staff.

SK Lepong Baleh has 396 pupils, 36 teachers and 14 staff.

Other schools placed on alert during high water were SK Temenggong Koh, Nanga Antawau, SK Semplili, Baleh, SK Nanga Metah and SK Nanga Yong.

Jamit accompanied by Bomba officer Irwandy Tugor met the press on Thursday, advising all residents of houses built on hill slopes or river banks to be vigilant.

“Kapit has rugged terrain punctuated with numerous rivers and streams, so during the wet seasons, watch out for erosion of hill slopes, landslides and floods.

“Folks staying in longhouses at river banks need to be alert to sudden rises in water levels brought by incessant rain.

“Safety is my main concern. Although we can’t stop soil erosion and landslides, we can at least take measures to prevent the loss of lives,” Jamit said.