The middle part of Mering Madang Longhouse’s backyard has disappeared due to landslide and soil erosion. Chukpai (third from right) and Desmond (second from right) and Tubau folk at the site to understand the longhouse’s condition better.
Mering Lasah
BINTULU: Every single downpour in the last two years got the folk of Rumah Mering Madang in Tubau worried sick for one simple reason—possible disappearance of their 20-door longhouse!
When it rains heavy, everyone will have sleepless nights.
They will all gather at the living room area and keep their ears out for the subtle ‘tek-tek’ sound coming from the ground.
If this sound is detected, it means only one thing—soil at the back of the longhouse is again slipping down the slope, which has turned into a 40-foot cliff over time.
Rumah Mering Madang’s assistant longhouse chief Mering Lasah, 54, could not hide his sorrow and worries that his longhouse, which houses about 10 families, was on shaky ground.
He is worried that landslides and soil erosion would eventually wash away his longhouse and endanger the lives of his people.
“I can’t sleep well when it’s raining. I stay alert and listen hard for the soft ‘tek-tek’ sound coming from the ground.”
“We are worried . . . worried that our longhouse might give way anytime. I have spent RM40,000 trying to renovate my unit, and if the longhouse is destroyed, I will have nothing left,” said teary-eyed Mering.
He said thus far the middle three bilik were the worst hit, and the three affected families had moved to a safe section of the longhouse.
“We really don’t know what to do. We have invested so much here, and we can’t just abandon it.
“We have lived here for seven years. This is our home,” said Mering.
The Kayan community started to build their longhouse on a plateau 10 years ago and slowly moved in about three years later.
However, about two years ago, soil erosion started creeping in at the middle back portion of the longhouse, and several landslides had followed suit.
Today, that back portion is now a steep cliff.
Murum assemblyman Chukpai Kennedy Ugon, who visited the longhouse yesterday with Sebauh District Officer Desmond Jerukan, said he would raise the matter during the District Development Committee meeting in Bintulu today.
“Since all the relevant agencies will be there, we will bring up the matter to determine the best way to solve this problem,” he said.
“What happened to Rumah Mering Madang is actually a disaster, except that the people bear and live with it. Something must be done to solve the problem.”
He said he would also try to look for money because the case was urgent and needed to be attended to immediately, before any unfortunate turn.
“We will try to bring in experts or consultants on soil erosion to see how best to salvage the longhouse.
“This is a case where we cannot wait anymore. The longhouse can collapse anytime, especially when there is a downpour,” said Chukpai.
Meanwhile, Desmond advised longhouse folk in Sebauh to consult experts before they build longhouses.