Bintulu-Miri road is being expanded as it forms part of the Pan-Borneo Highway.
Chukpai Kennedy Ugon was BAT6 designated driver for the day.
The children of SK Kuala Kebulu.
Rumah Aying is located along Jelalong River.
The condition of Rumah Mering Madang.
BINTULU: Tubau is only a two-hour drive from Bintulu, but it is so underdeveloped one wonders whether it is alien territory.
It is sad there are still settlements there that lack basic infrastructure, such as roads, water and electricity.
Murum assemblyman Chukpai Kennedy Ugon gave these grim statistics for Tubau: treated water coverage is five per cent while electricity coverage is 30 per cent.
Roads mean old timber tracks and plantation roads, he lamented.
Even to schools like SK Kuala Kebulu, the dirt road is winding and hilly because it is a mixture of timber tracks and plantation roads. These so-called roads are almost impassable during the landas season.
Tubau is in BAT6’s agenda because the longhouse chiefs had requested for The Borneo Post to visit them to see their tough living conditions.
We set out early yesterday morning, and we had the pleasure of having Chukpai on the wheels of our sponsored Isuzu MU-X. We visited SK Kebulu first, followed by Rumah Mering Madang.
While on the Bakun Road, we saw a metal road barrier being dismantled. However, there was one erected high and standing tall. Later, we realised there was a mini police beat base just by the roadside, beside the metal barrier.
Upon reaching about 40km of Bakun Road, we took a left turn into a mud road. Though SK Kebulu is only 40km away from Bakun Road, it took us about 90 minutes to reach the school because of the rugged terrain and mud road.
Local headmen told us we were lucky the sun was shining because if it had rained, the drive would have been longer or impossible, unless we have a powerful four-wheel drive vehicle—like the Isuzu MU-X.
But since Chukpai is an experienced driver on rugged rural terrain, coupled with his familiarity of the road conditions in the area, the drive was actually quite enjoyable and fun.
Due to the lack of basic infrastructure and development, many locals have moved to Bintulu. However, there are still many who do not have the financial means to move, so they stayed put. That is why SK Kuala Kebulu still has about 50 pupils.
The school is on the other side of the river, and as we had come to the area using Bakun Road, we had to cross the river to get to the school.
Situated along Jelalong River, this primary school is a scenic in a way, but it needs to be relocated urgently as it sits on a flood prone area, which hinders the children’s learning couple of times a year.
The school also has facilities for pre-school pupils and their parents to live in. They were made available to ensure young children start their education early, like their counterparts in urban areas.
All of the pupils are boarders. On close look at the stilts of the hostel, the BAT6 team got worried because many of the slender stilts had already tilted to one side. As a result, the hostel is slanted to one side.
To prevent the hostel from collapsing, the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) had to erect more stilts to strength its foundation.
But since 50 children are staying in the hostel, the local community certainly felt uneasy. Year after year, the school submitted requests to be relocated, and it was only recently that it was informed that the plan had been penciled in the 11th Malaysian Plan.
In the meantime, there is nothing much that can be done to protect the boarders, except pray that they will remain safe until the relocation plan materialise.
Rumah Mering Madang is another sorry sight. With serious soil erosion and landslide happening at the back of the longhouse, the longhouse is now precariously perched on a 40-foot cliff.
Looking into the eyes of 54-year-old assistant longhouse chief Mering Lasah, one can only see desperation and helplessness.
BAT6 only wished the government will step in immediately to help the folk of this 20-door Kayan longhouse. Similar to the hostel, one can only pray that help and not rhetoric comes soon as the longhouse is home to about 10 families, who have poured their entire life savings into the longhouse.
Life is basically very tough in Tubau. Despite being a large area of fertile and arable land, it is a land of dirt roads. Apart from areas along the main road, most villagers are still using generators to power up their longhouses even though Bakun Dam is only 80km away.
As for water, everywhere we went, we saw blue water tanks—meaning most areas depend on rainwater or mountain water for consumption and river water for bathing and cleaning.
It is really high time the government give due attention to this neglected part of Murum.