IPOH: The Public Works Department is preparing the site to build the Bailey Bridge to temporarily replace the Old Slim River Bridge, which collapsed due to a water surge incident last week.
Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said the department needs time to build the bridge as they must assess the suitability of the riverbanks and verify the land status, whether it belongs to the government, reserve land under the Irrigation and Drainage Department, or private land.
"Only after all of this is completed can JKR (Public Works Department) proceed with building the bridge. Of course, before that, JKR needs to clear all the debris,” he said at a press conference after launching the book voucher assistance for Perak students here on Wednesday (Aug 28).
On Aug 23, the Old Slim River Bridge collapsed after being hit by a water surge that carried debris after continuous heavy rainfall for several hours, which also caused two other bridges in Slim River to give way.
On the claim that land clearing for agricultural purposes in the area might have caused the incident, Saarani said the matter had been referred to PLANMalaysia to take necessary action.
"I have brought up the matter at the state planning committee on Monday and PLANMalaysia will take necessary action because approvals for agricultural planning are managed by PLANMalaysia, not under local authorities’ jurisdiction,” he added. - Bernama
