T'GANU DID SEEKS RM150 MILLION TO DEEPEN SUNGAI MERANG ESTUARY

SETIU, Feb 7 (Bernama) -- Tourist boat operators and fishermen in Kampung

Merang could heave a sigh of relief after receiving positive feedback from the

Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) on the problem of the shallow Sungai

Merang river mouth which is affecting their livelihood.

State DID director Mat Hussin Ghani said the department had applied for a

RM150 million allocation from the central and state governments to resolve the

problem.

He said the issue on deepening the estuary and coastal erosion here was

critical and the department would be making regular visits to the areas.

"We have applied for the allocation for deepening works at the Sungai Merang

river mouth since last year and we are still waiting for the allocation from the

state and federal governments," he said when contacted by reporters here.

According to Mat Hussin, the government had been taking action to assist the

river users so that their daily activities were not affected.

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ESTUARY-ALLOCATION 2 (LAST) SETIU

He said since 2005, the DID had spent about RM500,000 for deepening works at

the river mouth.

"In 2010, the DID spent RM10 million to dig the estuary but the work was

stopped in 2011 when the RM150 million allocation was applied to construct a

wave breaker at the Sungai Merang river mouth," he said.

More than 100 fishermen and boat operators here risk their lives as they go

to sea each day battling the shallow estuary after each rainy season as the

condition caused boat engines to get stuck on sandbars and risked getting hit by

waves resulting in enormous losses to them.

-- BERNAMA

NFI SHI CHW AO