Authorities to close Bailey bridge during headwater surge

BALING: The recently-erected Bailey bridge over the Kupang river in Kampung Iboi may be unable to withstand a headwater surge bringing along rocks and uprooted trees similar to the July 4 incident, it was stated today.

Works Ministry secretary-general Datuk Wan Ahmad Uzir Wan Sulaiman said that as a precaution, the bridge would be temporarily closed if the river rose too high and the flow of water became swift.

A three-hour downpour from 2 pm yesterday caused the river to rise above the level of the bridge and flow swiftly as well as flood nearby settlements.

Wan Ahmad Uzir said a Public Works Department team inspected the bridge and found that it was unaffected by the deluge of water.

"However, part of the road leading to the bridge eroded and the bridge had to be closed to allow for the road to be repaired," he told Bernama.

The modular steel bridge was built in Kampung Iboi to replace the original bridge that was washed away in the torrent of water on July 4 that claimed the lives of three people, one of them a pregnant woman.

Wan Ahmad Uzir said the Department of Irrigation and Drainage had been deepening the Kupang river over the past week to prevent the river from overflowing into the nearby settlements.

Nevertheless, he said, the river became shallow again quickly due to the massive amount of silt flowing downstream.

Yesterday, 58 people from 19 families in Kampung Padang Empang were evacuated to a relief centre after their houses were flooded.

-- BERNAMA