SIMUNJAN assemblyman Awla Dris calls upon the government to allocate funds to upgrade and beautify the Batang Sadong riverbank, and to further develop it into a leisure and water sports centre.
He noted that the project to manage and prevent erosion along the 560m riverbank near Simunjan town was completed earlier this year, at a cost of RM13 million.
“This area is the site for the biennial Pesta Simunjan. The riverbank can also be used as a location for fishing enthusiasts from Simunjan and surrounding areas,” he said when debating the 2019 State Budget at the DUN sitting yesterday.
Awla added that Simunjan is no exception from soil erosion problems, including Kampung Sageng Hilir – resulting in broken roads that have not been repaired since 2016.
“In this regard, I appeal to the relevant authorities to go down to the ground to assess the situation, which is a concern for the locals where many houses have moved and Muslim cemeteries relocated due to serious soil erosion,” he said.
He reiterated that many villages in Simunjan such as Kampung Simunjan Jaya, Kampung Tabuan Iban and several villages in the Rangawan Zone are flood-prone and thus, would need flood mitigation projects.
“These villages often experience flood problems during the monsoon season. Therefore, I hope that construction of the flood mitigation projects or bunds could be done as soon as possible as the monsoon season is approaching.”