SIMANGGANG: The state government has been asked to build a special jetty that can be used by the Malaysian Civil Defence (APM) boats during low tides as well as high tides.
Sri Aman APM officer, Captain Siti Huzaimah Ibrahim, who made the call today, said the absence of a special jetty suitable for launching and bringing up boats in the Sri Aman areas, especially during low tides made it difficult for the APM to operate in the rivers.
“Every operation in the river requires boats. Whether we want to or not, the boats had to be pulled and pushed manually.
“It is hard work and there are very high risks of the boats being damaged. A special jetty will facilitate assignments every time,” she added.
“When the operations end, we have to wait for the high tide to raise the boats, otherwise they will have to be left in the river.
“For example, on Tuesday, the operation along Batang Lupar was completed roughly at 2.00pm but the high tide was at 7.00pm. We had to wait for several hours before we could pull up the boats,” explained Huzaimah.
She also pointed out some security issues in the absence of a special jetty.
“For example, when operations require our APM members to stay overnight, there are worries that our boats might be stolen.
She admitted that she had previously asked the state government to build a special jetty for the APM during a Pesta Benak meeting.
