KUCHING: Ba Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian has called on the state government to investigate complaints about contamination in the Sungai Muda water catchment area.
The problem is said to be caused by the ongoing construction of the Ba Kelalan-Bario road.
Baru told The Borneo Post on Wednesday he had received information that a police report was filed in Lawas last week regarding an armed man at the construction site aiming a rifle at locals to prevent them from rebuilding blockades to stop the road’s construction.
“I was informed that there were 13 people who witnessed the incident. They are demanding a police investigation into this. This is very serious. I told them to give me the police report but so far, this seems to be the information I have received from the ground,” said the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) state liaison officer.
He added that locals claimed the army had assisted the contractor to dismantle the blockades and are now guarding the junction.
“The problem is that they (contractor) are polluting the main source of drinking water. The army is building this road under the Jiwa Murni project – how is this Jiwa Murni?” He said some 200 residents had initiated legal proceedings against the contractor of the road.