The huge volume of water discharged from the two housing estates into the river has destroyed the temporary drainage, causing further soil erosion.
KAPIT: A temporary water diversion drainage erected at Taman Thiam Chiong, along Jalan Padang Sukan here, was destroyed during heavy rain on Tuesday morning due to the large discharge of water.
The massive volume of water, originating from Taman Thiam Chiong and Taman Chong Seng, proved too much to handle for the temporary drainage system which was constructed from spandex sheets.
It overflowed onto the bank of Sungai Selirik, causing more erosion to the already fragile soil there and further risking the safety of nearby homes.
Christina Tiong, whose home is among those affected, said the initial erosion began shortly after Chinese New Year this year, but has worsened over the past few days as chunks of the river bank were washed away by the overflowing water.
“The incessant rain and the damaged storm drain have definitely added to the worsening erosion. One of the concrete beams of the store at the rear of my house is at risk of collapsing after serious erosion occurred last week,” she said.
Following an inspection several months back, Bukit Goram assemblyman Jefferson Jamit approved funds from his Rural Transformation Project (RTP) to construct a retaining wall along the river bank to arrest the erosion.
The project is being handled by Kapit District Council and a contractor was appointed early last month to carry out the works.
Works, however, has yet to begin, with the contractor informing The Borneo Post when contacted Tuesday that he is awaiting the arrival of the construction material from Sibu, and that the project would commence then.