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| This is the disaster that happen. Judge by your own eyes the scale of this phenomenon. |
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| Logging is the main culprit. So, loggers is the culprit. Where is our enforcement? |
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| Sequence of event can be understand from this figure |
Scientific explanation of the disaster
Large-scale land clearing would change the hydrological characteristics of the catchment area. It increases the runoff, causing erosion and resulting in stream overflows and soil deposits in rivers, making them shallower. This will eventually lead to flooding. The faster runoff also means the water has higher kinetic energy and will be able to carry more weight, thus washing down debris like waste logs and branches in its path.
Clearing of land and debris piling could also obstruct the flow of water and force water to seep into the ground. When the extent of soil water saturation is high and spread over a large area, then the saturated soil would move under gravitational force. This large-scale movement of soil is known as a landslide or, if the soil is in slurry form, a mudslide result of accumulated water seepage over a period as water moved very slowly in the ground.
There were massive deposits of dead wood, gravel, and sand, caused by soil and riverbank erosion. Heavy rain may have caused a sudden surge in water level and the deposits collapsed and washed down river. Whatever the causes are, the disaster is an indication that unsustainable activities have to be addressed transparently, urgently and effectively by all stakeholders.
Impacts or damages
The damage done by the incident of logjam affected various aspects in term of livelihood, social, economic and environment along the river. This massive logjam along Malaysia’s longest river was a cause of grave concern and drew wide-spread discussion and speculation on the causes, especially in Facebook and other blogs on the Internet, thus getting the attention of foreign media and environmental groups.
Kilometers of driftwood or a mixture of rotten and fresh wood apart from debris clogged the river and moving on a snail pace due to the driftwood which trapped underneath two bridges at Sungai Melatai, in Ulu Baleh. River transport at a standstill as wooden debris clogged Baleh and Rajang rivers which adversely affected navigation from Sibu to Putai, a distance of some 300km. The occurrence of clustered and half submerged logs along the river poses serious danger to shipping during and after the incident.
The physical damages account for 2 bridges (or metal bailey bridges) situated just below the Malataiheli Camp in Baleh collapsed due to pressure from the water current as well as massive flow of driftwood underneath them. The bridges previously used for logging transportation. Collapse of the bridges led to two men in a Land Cruiser died when the bridge was swept by the mudslide.
Another reported incident was a child died when its mother could not send it for medical treatment in Kapit due to the logjam which retarded the river transportation. Other physical damages, 5 jetties were damaged located at Entawau Clinic, SK Sembilik, Entawau Longhouse, Nangga Entelawan and Sembilik longhouse. Disruptions to river transport including ferry services to a complete standstill for two days.
Economically, according to Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam who is also chairman of State Disaster and Relief Committee, losses caused by logjam were around RM2.7 million while Kapit District Office had estimated the loss to properties caused by the debris-jam to be at least RM1.8 million. Sibu Water Board (SWB) forked out an additional RM19,000 (119% increase) on water treatment as a result of the debris and muddy water in the river. Cost incurred by treatment plants at Bukit Lima and Salim surged to RM31,910 from the normal RM14,572 on Oct 8 to 10. General Manager of Sibu Water Board, Daniel Wong said the bulk of the expenses went towards chemicals to treat the water as well as electricity for operating the plants from Oct 8 to 10. The extent of damage it had caused to the shipping industry is yet to be ascertained.
Sadia committee recently travelled up the Baleh River on a fact-finding mission to get first-hand information from the Iban community residing along the riverbank. Sadia Kapit chairman, Edward Manggah explained that the disaster has destroyed the livelihoods of many longhouse folk who depend on the river. Sungai Melatai was famous for fish species. It was the breeding ground for semah and empurau. They were in abundance because the river had clear and swift flowing water suitable for them to survive.
After the incident, the whole river has been filled with fallen rocks, siltation and mud. The natural habitat of the fish has been completely destroyed. Sungai Melatai and the stretch of the Baleh River downstream have now become dead rivers. The logjam swept through damaging longhouse jetties and destroyed the natural habitual of exotic fish in Baleh.
A retired army personnel and a fish breeder from Sungai Sut, who wanted to be known as ‘Robert’, lamented that many types of indigenous fish had died along Sungai Melatai to Sibu, depriving the people of their source of income and protein. According to Tuai Rumah Kilau who returned from Tunoh to Kapit on Friday morning, the massive riverbank erosion was caused by the eruption of dykes formed by sediments, wood and other debris caused by long periods of logging activities. Superintendent of Land and Survey Kapit Affin Bawi said the massive landslide was the culprit. His view was confirmed by an officer from Sarawak Rivers Board
Environmentally, ecological devastation happen due to extensive landslide or baruas called by the local happen between 5km and 10km on both banks of Sungai Melatai where mud pool wiped out the flora and fauna in the area included animals and fish. All the impacts that happen ultimately destroyed the livelihoods of many longhouse folk who depend on the river.
According to environmental chemist Prof Dr Lau Seng who is director of the Centre for Technology Transfer and Consultancy at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, other damage is more difficult to quantify, such as damage to the spawning grounds and to the food webs.
However, the damage depended on the amount of suspended solids (SS) in the river. SS could be high and deposition of these SS onto the riverbed might bury benthic organisms (comprising crabs, prawns and snails) and kill them. These organisms are food for the fish and when the food becomes scarce, fewer fish can be supported.
The most obvious impact is the drastic decrease of fish in the river and locals, particularly those staying between Kapit and Sibu, who rely on riverine fish, would be affected by this situation in the coming months. If the benthic organisms are greatly affected, then the quantity of fish in the river will take a longer time to recover. For those in the upper Baleh or near the estuary like from Sarikei and Igan, the impact will be much reduced as tidal dilution would buffer the muddy water.
According to the record of Sibu Water Board, Nephelometric turbidity unit (NTU) of river water exceeded 3,000 on Oct 8 to 10. This phenomenon had caused them to drain out or sludge some 17.4 million litres of waste water during the three days as it was not up to the safety mark for drinking.
IN THE END, WILL JUSTICE PREVAIL?
