THE government has been urged to take immediate steps to address issues affecting road connectivity, water quality and electricity supply in Baleh constituency.
Nicholas Kudi (GPS-Baleh) highlighted the deteriorating state of rural infrastructure in the area, particularly former logging roads that have been left to fall into disrepair.
“About 80 per cent of Baleh depends on old logging roads that are no longer maintained since logging stopped.
“Yet, the Public Works Department (PWD) still classifies many as active logging zones,” he said when debating in support of the motion of appreciation to the Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar’s speech in the august house.
Kudi urged the government to reclassify and take over these roads for proper maintenance and upgrades, adding that unsafe, aging bridges be replaced with quicker, more cost-effective Bailey bridges.
He stressed that poor road conditions have severely disrupted daily life for longhouse residents by limiting access to schools, clinics and other essential services, while dangerous river routes and steep, unsafe alternative roads like those under the Jiwa Murni programme urgently need upgrading.
Kudi also voiced concern over the road to the Baleh Hydroelectric Project (HEP), which is expected to be completed by June but is already experiencing erosion and structural failures.
“Three sections have collapsed, and others are at risk of landslides.
“I urge JKR, consultants and contractors, who are still within the Defect Liability Period (DLP), to act swiftly before the situation worsens,” he said.
He added that the unlit and poorly secured road poses dangers to night travellers, urging for immediate installation of streetlights and increased police patrols following a tragic accident caused by illegal motorcycle racing that claimed several students’ lives.
While commending the Sarawak and Federal Governments for providing water storage tanks to longhouses, Kudi noted that the quality of river water has declined due to development activities.
“Most longhouses rely on nearby river tributaries for water. So far, there have been no major health incidents, but the water quality is deteriorating.
“We must ensure that gravity-fed water sources are safe for drinking and household use,” he said.
He urged local authorities and health departments to raise public awareness about water cleanliness and waste management, noting that rubbish-strewn P-turn sections along the Pan Borneo Highway and improper disposal of waste and sewage into rivers are causing severe pollution.
Kudi also addressed the limitations of the Sarawak Alternative Rural Electrification Scheme (SARES), which provides off-grid power to rural homes but supplies only 3 to 5 kilowatt-hours per day, an amount insufficient for economic or industrial development.
“With the new Bukit Mabong District Office in Tunoh scheduled for completion by October, the area will soon require a reliable 24-hour electricity supply,” he said.
He called on Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) to reconsider its decision to delay extending the electricity grid to Tunoh due to the alignment passing through 37 kilometres of former logging roads.
“This should not be a reason to abandon the original plan.
“Tunoh will serve as the administrative centre for Bukit Mabong and will accommodate the relocation of five longhouses. It needs proper infrastructure,” he stressed.
