Village to get RM25 mln wave breaker

MIRI: A RM25 million wave breaker project will be built at Kampung Batu Satu Lutong to reduce the impact and damage waves have on fishing boats.

Assistant Minister of Land and Air Transportation and Safety Datuk Lee Kim Shin said the wave breaker will be the second such project to be implemented in Malaysia.

“It will not only benefit fishermen here but also be another landmark for tourism, where tourists can experience traditional fishing apart from buying fresh fish and other marine life here,” he told reporters during a site visit yesterday.

Lee said the Department of Irrigation and Drainage ( DID) already has a project concept and design but this is subject to input from fishermen on facilities and safety features required.

Construction is expected to begin early next year and the wave breaker is expected to be completed by mid-2019.

Lee also called on all fishermen squatting along Jalan Lutong, Kuala Baram to regroup at Kampung Batu Satu Lutong boathouse for safety reasons.

Meanwhile, fishermen’s representative Abdul Mutalib Jaluddin said he hoped DID would study safety features for the project so fishing boats can be launched during high and low tides.

“We thank the government and Datuk Lee for their concern for fishermen here and hope the project can be done accordingly to schedule and benefit us in the long run,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had approved a grant of RM1 million for the project in May last year.

However as this was not enough for the scope of the project, DID applied for additional funding which has been approved.

More than 100 fishermen are expected to benefit from the wave breaker.