BAU: Villagers affected by the rubbish landfill in Kampung Skiat Lama are urging the relevant authorities to expedite its relocation process that was promised three years ago.
The issue was highlighted early this year when the huge landfill reached its maximum capacity, spewing solid waste and water onto the main road and causing an early morning traffic standstill.
“That was in January. Today, we do not even see any improvement or heard of the latest news being made. It is a living nightmare for us who have to smell the foul odour every day and putting our health at risk,” lamented Kampung Skiat Lama village headman Mitod Bojeng to the Borneo Post yesterday.
Speaking on behalf of the 208 individuals from 44 households in his village, Mitod said several complaints were lodged with Bau District Council in the past three years.
“I was also told that our village has been labelled as ‘Kampung Tong Sampah’ (rubbish bin village), which is shameful to us who have been living here for so many years.”
At one point, some villagers, he said, even mulled holding a demonstration at the landfill.
Also voicing his disappointment was Kampung Skiat Baru village headman Andrew Lia, whose village is less affected by the round-the-clock rubbish smell due to the locality of his village, located further up the main road.
“Nevertheless, we still have to pass by the landfill almost every day to get to town. As the rubbish water is all over the road, the foul smell would stick to our vehicle’s tyres, making our drive a very uncomfortable
ordeal.”
The smelly water, he added, was believed to be caused by a poor drainage system that also led to a ‘pooling’ of rainwater.
This had caused the whole landfill to float like a ‘giant rubbish ship’ after a heavy downpour, especially during the rainy season.
“Due to the landfill, the villagers are also complaining about the large number of flies and other insects invading their homes. I am also worried that some of our older villagers and those in Kampung Skiat Lama would contract some sort of sickness due to the foul air.”
Meanwhile, Bau District Council (BDC) new chairman Inting Yami, when contacted, admitted he was well aware of the plight of the villagers and said his office was still awaiting the approval of a new site along the Bau-Lundu road.
Inting, who recently took over the helm from Wong Hee Sieng, said among the immediate temporary solutions was to expand the area inwards and, hopefully, that could accommodate rubbish generated in the whole district.
Currently, there is no way through for the rubbish truck to go deeper into the landfill due to the overwhelming amount of rubbish at the front portion of the landfill.
“That is why we have proposed to clear a section of the area to lay down a gravel road made up of sand and stones for the rubbish trucks to drive deeper into the area,” said Inting.
The directive to implement this gravel road, he said, had been issued to one of the council’s departments last week.
“I am glad to know the villagers have come to realise the importance of their health, and the risks they are facing from the landfill.”