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SMC plans to get Bomba’s help

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A housing estate inundated by water.

SIBU: Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) plans to get the assistance of the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) to douse open burning which is quite rampant of late.

Council chairman Clarence Ting vowed to stop this menace as it is still happening.

“I have a whole list of complaints received during the movement control period (MCO) period on open burning. During the MCO period, the people had nothing to do as they were under lockdown at home so they indulged themselves in open burning,” he lamented.

He said in order to stop such practice, the council is contemplating working with Bomba.

“SMC plans to talk to Bomba by getting their assistance to put out any open burning by residents when we receive complaints,” he said.

The council would also seek the assistance of NREB (Natural Resource and Environmental Board) to reduce incidences of open burning.

“The council can issue warning or compound, but open burning can still happen if the people refuse to cooperate by not indulging themselves from burning,” he stressed.

On the flash flood which hit the town on June 23 that caused some roads in the low-lying area to be inundated by at least two feet of floodwater, he wanted the government to build a pump station at Jalan Langsat.

“The pumping station at Loba Lembangan does help the front part of Jalan Tiong Hua where flooding is less now. But flooding is very bad at the back of Jalan Tiong Hua, Merlin Lane and Jalan Punai. So maybe that is the solution. I wrote a letter a few months ago to request that a pump station be done at the open area in Jalan Langsat,” he pointed out and envisaging that the new pump would drain out water from low-lying area.

Ting said according to the Metrological Department, a total of 190mm of rainfall was recorded that day.

“Anything that is over 50mm is considered heavy rain. This is a natural phenomenon. I advise residents not to politicise it. Even water was also seeping into my house on that day,’ he said.

Ting said in certain areas, the water totally subsided several hours later after the heavy downpour which started at about 4pm that day.

“The road in front of the public library was submerged by two feet of floodwater but by 6.45pm, the water had receded. At Rejang Park, the water started receding at 7.30pm,”he said.

However, in certain areas like Lane 4, Jalan Kelama, the council could not do much to solve the flooding issue as the road sits on a private land.

“The council cannot solve all water issues as in the case of Jalan Kelama, it is a private land,” he said.

However the badly affected place is Jalan Pahlawan where the council needs to seriously look into it as it is a main road.

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