Petronas Carigali to build concrete drain, walkway at Batu Satu
MIRI (September 26): Petronas Carigali has agreed to undertake a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project to construct a concrete drain and the missing road link across a high pressure gas pipeline for fishermen at Batu Satu to access both their new and old boatsheds.
With this issue settled, the fishing community here wants the federal government to get cracking in rolling out the approved coastal protection project and not delay it.
Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Lee Kim Shin, who is also Senadin assemblyman, said this issue was resolved after a year of negotiations with Petronas which owns the pipeline coming in from the sea.
“The road is the missing link as fishermen can pull their boats over the pipeline beneath while Petronas would also help build the drain to drain water into the sea from this area,” he said.
Figure 1: Mohd Nazri (front row sixth left) handing over the drawings of the proposed missing road link at Batu Satu to Lee, witnessed by representatives of DID and local fishing community.
Lee visited the site yesterday afternoon with Petronas and Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) representatives and the local fishing community at Batu Satu along Kuala Baram road.
Petronas Carigali was represented by Mohd Nazri Mohd Zain, head of Pipeline and Structural Engineering, who later handed over the documents on the proposed walkway to Lee.
The high pressure gas pipeline cuts across the path of the proposed route and Petronas will build an elevated concrete path linking the old boat sheds to the new ones.
Lee appealed to the new federal government to implement without any delay the proposed wave breaker project which was approved by the previous government.
“This is about safety and lives of the fishermen here and this should be accorded priority,” he said.
The proposed coastal protection project is estimated to cost RM25 million and could protect the coast and fishing boats in the sheds built onshore.
The year-end monsoon is dreaded by the community at Batu Satu as monstrous waves and high tide could flood the area and send boats crashing into the shore as had happened in the past.
On August 7 this year, strong winds and waves wreaked havoc, ripping of boat shed roofs and pounding waves flooded the fishing boat sheds and market facilities at the village.
Lee said the consultant had already completed the survey and design of the coastal protection project and the villagers were anxious for the project to start.
“We don’t want a recurrence of the last incident as we don’t have the money to buy new boats,” a representative of the villagers said.
Lee said he had approved minor rural project (MRP) grants to repair the damaged roofs which he expected to start this week.
[Source: “Petronas Carigali to build concrete drain, walkway at Batu Satu” published by BorneoPost Online]Photo Credits: BorneoPost Online
