Timber bridges to be built in Nabawan after green light from Forestry Dept

 By Olivia Miwil - April 10, 2022 @ 11:35am

Headmistress and staff of SK Pangaraan in Nabawan spending the night en route to the school following the collapsed bridges. - Pic courtesy of Zazila Roslan.

KENINGAU: The construction of a timber bridge connecting villages in the rural area in Nabawan here will begin after getting approval from the Sabah Forestry Department.

Nabawan assemblyman Datuk Abdul Ghani Mohamed Yassin said this in response to Zazila Roslan, who shared the journey of her 54-year-old mother Jusseh Agitor and other staff walking longer hours to reach Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Pangaraan.

Jusseh, who is the headmistress of the school of about 40 students, trekked 30 kilometres from the first bridge that collapsed at Kampung Binanun.

Apart from teachers, villagers from Kampung Pohon Batu and Kampung Pangaraan are also disconnected from Nabawan town following three old bridges that were damaged on March 5 due to flooding.

Abdul Ghani, who is also the chairman of Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB), said the board would seek approval from the Sabah Forestry Department to obtain timber for the bridge.

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"After we get the department and village chiefs' approval, SLDB will use its own logs from the concession land for the bridges.

"We will execute it as soon as we get the permission," he told the New Straits Times.

For almost three decades, Jusseh braced through off-road treks with four-wheel drive vehicles to teach students.

There were few times that she faced near-death experiences including almost falling from a broken bridge which is above six metres from the river.

Abdul Ghani said the teachers had approached him after the collapsed bridges.

"I had asked the four-wheel drive vehicle team to assist with their journey, but due to the road condition, the group could not do it.

"The road is actually an abandoned timber route. That is why I raised the matter during my debate at the recent state assembly sitting for the Sabah government to take it over," he said.

As for affected villagers, Abdul Ghani said the district office and community development leaders had delivered food and necessities for two consecutive days using helicopter services.

He assured that the relevant authorities would keep tabs on the needs of villagers, including medical services.