Nine suspension bridges damaged or swept away
SIPITANG:
Nine suspension bridges at Sungai Meligan, Sungai Ibul and Sungai Laugon, located about 82 kilometres from here, have either been damaged or swept away by severe floods. A spokesman for the villagers, Samson Imui, said the floods that hit the area last Wednesday also destroyed crops, particularly paddy. He said five suspension bridges were swept away by strong currents at Sungai Ibul, three at Sungai Meligan and one at Sungai Laugon. “It’s the second time the villages were badly hit by floods; the first time was about 15 years ago,” Samson told The Borneo Post yesterday. He said since the affected villagers were relying on the suspension bridges to carry out their daily activities, the Government should build new suspension bridges as soon as possible. The villagers are willing to build the new suspension bridges through gotong royong effort, if the Government provides the funds for them to buy the materials. The villagers had brought the matter up with Sindumin Assemblyman Hj Ahmad Bujang during his inspection visit to the villages, according to Samson. Some 1,000 residents were affected during the last bad flood that hit the area 15 years ago, he said.
