BATANG SADONG BRIDGE BRINGS DEVELOPMENT TO SEBUYAU

By Zaphne Philip

SEBUYAU (Sarawak), Dec 3  -- The long wait to get a ferry to go to nearby places for residents of Sebuyau, including Suri Nyayong, 58, ended for residents here with the completion of the Batang Sadong Bridge in 2016.

For the residents of Sebuyau, a settlement between two major rivers, Sungai Batang Sadong and Sungai Batang Lupar, it was not just the long wait, but also the terrifying  moments and the risks they faced, especially during bad weather, made them grateful to the government for building the bridge.

 "Now I am grateful because since we have the bridge, it is easy for us to go to Kuching City either to get our  food supplies or sell agricultural and other products," she told Bernama.

The presence of the Batang Sadong Bridge, which is about 1.5 kilometre long across the Batang Sadong River, has brought huge development to the area.

It was built at a cost of RM231 million in July 2012 and took four years to complete. The bridge was opened to the public in October 2016.

The completion of the bridge project has also opened a new chapter to about 50,000 residents in the Samarahan and Simunjan districts. Sebuyau is in Simunjan.

The bridge is one of the main infrastructures in the development of the Sarawak Coastal Road project to facilitate the movement of road users from southern Sarawak to Miri City in the northern part of the state.

The availability of the bridge also put an end to problems faced by residents in Samarahan and Simunjann of the waiting and long travelling time to reach their destinations.

It took them at least an hour on the ferry to cross the  Batang Sadong River, which involved a distance of about one kilometre.

Now, travelling via the bridge to Kuching City for residents in Sebuyau only takes about two hours and 30 minutes compared to more than four hours when they had to use the ferry service.

Jessi Peli Ngumbang, 72, witnessed the many changes that took place in his birth-town and how the presence of the bridge has made life easier and more convenient for the community there.

"Since the completion of the Batang Sadong Bridge, the atmosphere in Pekan Sebuyau has become livelier more lively and more visitors start to come, especially on weekends,  to enjoy experience the tranquility and atmosphere of the town and be away from the hustle and bustle of the city," said the Sebuyau native.

Meanwhile, Suri also appreciated the RM675 million flood mitigation project being carried out by the Integrated Regional Samarahan Development Agency (IRSDA), which is scheduled for completion in 2023.

With Sebuyau located between Sungai Batang Sadong and Sungai Batang Lupar, it is the first to receive the positive impact from the implementation of the project, which is to prevent the entry of salt water, especially into agricultural areas.

"We are less worried now since work on the flood mitigation project has started. It will not be like in previous years where Pekan Sebuyau will be flooded every time the river water level rises,” she said, adding that resident in Asajaya, Gedong and Simunjan would also benefit from the project.

Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, during a visit to monitor the progress of the flood mitigation project recently, said it was implemented in stages involving an area stretching  ​​26.5 kilometres along the coastline.

The project was implemented to further improve the socio-economy of the people in the area.

Other major development projects being implemented here are the development of Bandar Baru Sebuyau and affordable housing projects in an area covering ​16.74 hectares.

He was optimistic about the effects of the projects in changing the living standards of the people there.

“This area will develop rapidly with the infrastructure that we are building,” said Abang Johari.

The name Sebuyau is a word from the Melanau tribe, Buyo, which means crab, due to the abundance of the marine life there.

However, the crabs are no longer the main attraction in Sebuyau. The place is now more popular as the habitat for Terubok, a fish species that is synonymous with Sarawak.

"When it is the Terubok season, Pekan Sebuyau will be lively. Visitors come to buy the fresh Terubok from the local fishermen,” said Peli.

-- BERNAMA