Council and college collaborate on river beautification project
MIRI: The Miri City Council ( MCC) will work closely with Miri Community College ( KKM) to beautify the Lutong River confluence area next to the old Lutong airstrip, as a Community Collaboration Project under MCC’s Local Agenda 21 ( LA21)’s River Adoption Programme.
Miri Mayor Adam Yii said the project, which was mooted by the LA21 and supported by KMM, would be implemented as part of the council’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
“MCC always welcomes such community projects to be implemented under the CSR spirit. A big ‘ thank you’ to the Miri Community College for providing us with the engineering drawings and artist’s impression artworks on the proposed river beautification project.
“It is because the price to have such engineering drawings and artist’s impression artworks through engagement of experts is not cheap,” he told reporters when met at the ‘ River Cleanliness Programme’ near the Lutong River confluence yesterday.
Yii, who is also Sarawak United People’s Party ( SUPP) Pujut branch chairman, said the MCC would look for a budget to implement the project.
“Once the budget for the project is available, we will implement the project straight away. Hopefully, the project could be made possible this year.”
He believed that this project would help to add value to the MCC’s greening projects by increasing the number of recreational parks in the city.
In addition, he also believed that the project would bring a relaxing vibe to the surrounding areas, where there is still not much development activities being carried out except for residential purposes.
“This strategic cooperation project will uplift the Miri River and its tributaries via the river adoption programme.
“It will be a long-term project where efforts to beautify the river and conserve the greenery would be implemented under a ‘gotongroyong’ (work party) concept.”
According to the drawing plan, there will be retaining rocks along the riverside to prevent erosion.
On the proposed facilities for the project, there would be a playground area, an outdoor gym, a barbecue area, proper trading kiosks, a bridge and 3D signages.
This project would be conducted in three phases, with the first phase to involve clean-up of the area and planting of flowering plants. For the second phase, the focus would be on landscaping, building a bridge and a retaining wall along the riverside.
Construction for the final phase would involve building huts and a children’s playground.