SEBAUH: With his people behind him, longhouse headman (Tuai Rumah) Lichong Along decided to move his longhouse residents to a new site near Jalan Bintulu-Bakun, less than one kilometre from its original location.
According to him, the old longhouse located at the bank of Sungai Kemena is often flooded during the rainy season; they also agreed to move after taking into account other factors such as the vicinity to the road making it easier to instal electricity and water supply.
He said the construction of the new longhouse called Lichong Longhouse (longhouses are usually named after the headman) had started since Sept 2017 and expected to be completed in two years and could accommodate 193 residents.
Moving into a new house is quite a norm, but interestingly Lichong Longhouse residents unanimously wanted their new house to have a modern design.
“The modern design includes the building material being not wooden; instead it will be made of bricks, cement and concrete for safety reasons especially to prevent a fire from spreading. A total of 31 units will be built on the new longhouse site compared to only 17 doors on the old site,” the 59-year-old Tuai Rumah told Bernama.
Lichong said the residents also agreed to have the same design for the exterior of the longhouse, but its interior decorations depend on the needs and personal taste of the respective residents.
“We are aware that the rapid spread of fire at longhouses is due to their wooden structure.
Hence, at the new longhouse each unit (door) will be separated by a concrete wall that will act as a fire breaker to avoid such incidents, we also make sure the wiring is done by a certified contractor,” he added.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Fire and Rescue Department director (fire safety division) Edwin Galan Teruki welcomed the construction of a longhouse which focused on safety factors to prevent the spread of fire.
He revealed that about 10 years ago he had presented a working paper on necessary security measures for longhouses during a meeting with longhouse headmen in Miri.
“At the meeting, I mentioned the need for a fire breaker to prevent the spread of a fire, although at that point my suggestion was rejected as it seemed like breaking the (tradition of a) longhouse but recently we could see a better awareness and the concept has been accepted,” he added.
He said apart from the fire breaker, other matters like electrical wiring needed to be done accordingly to avoid fire
accidents.
“Electrical wiring should be made professionally, should not be left exposed and the wires should not be folded. Other than that, take good care while cooking, and never leave the stove on without supervision,” he said. –Bernama
