Institute: Pilot project on soil stabilisation to run for a year

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Prof Dato Dr Sabarudin Mohd

Prof Dato Dr Sabarudin Mohd

SIBU: The trial project on three different soil stabilisation systems along certain sections of Tunku Abdul Rahman Road here will run for about one year.

Peat Technology Research Institute (Petri) director Professor Dato Dr Sabarudin Mohd said the three different systems would be studied along a 1km stretch.

“This will take about one year, and will continue to be monitored for at least two more years.

“We hope to come up with the most viable mechanism to address the problem,” he said yesterday when asked on the duration of the pilot project.

However Sabarudin, who is also University College of Technology Sarawak (UCTS) deputy vice- chancellor (academics), said the project had yet to take off as his side was waiting for certain documentation to be finalised.

On funding, he said it was from the Works Ministry.

The project is a response to the challenge from Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof during the launch of Petri in 2014, where he called on UCTS to carry out research to find solutions to problems affecting certain parts of the road, stretching from the airport to the town’s centre.

Fadillah said that very stretch posed a huge challenge to the government as it was very costly to maintain.

Sabarudin said Petri was working closely with Public Works Department (JKR), HCM Engineering Sdn Bhd and Research Centre for Soft Soils (Recess) Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) — all of which are involved in the study.

“If the pilot project proved to be a success, any of these systems could be adopted anywhere in the country,” he said.

On Petri, Sabarudin said it was established to innovate on technology, materials and construction methods through which the institute hoped to minimise problems and reduce costs in construction on peat land.

“Petri’s focus is on engineering and technology to develop the area (peat land) for infrastructure, housing and roads.”

Peat land constitutes an area of 2.6 million hectares in Malaysia and out of this figure, over 80 per cent is in Sarawak, 13 per cent in Peninsular Malaysia, and five per cent in Sabah.

This division alone has about 550,000 sq km of peat land.

“I am optimistic that Petri can play a role in providing technical and scientific knowledge for the development on peat land, especially in Sarawak,” Sabarudin added.