Making a difference: Volunteers celebrating after completing six tiers of eco-gabion at Kg Nosoob Baru.
KOTA KINABALU: After soil erosion, landslides and loosened earth following a 10-day downpour in Penampang near here last week, volunteers have come up with an eco-friendly idea to build gabions.
During the five-hour initiative at Kg Nosoob Baru, volunteers stacked used tyres and filled them with soil.
Lemongrass was planted to further strengthen the structure as the roots grew into the soil.
Geologist and Penampang Municipal Council councillor, Dr Felix Tongkul, who guided the volunteers, explained that eco-friendly applications such as recycled tyres were used to create structural reinforcement and an erosion control system as a method for slope protection.
“The tyres are laid in layers and filled with compacted soil or gravel to form a heavy, stable barrier. To prevent them from being dislodged, the tyres are anchored to the ground and wired together,” he explained.
Tongkul said that this method is extremely cheap, as used tyres are often free.
“It is also durable, as rubber resists degradation. When filled with soil and planted with vegetation, the structure can blend in with the landscape over time,” he added.
He said the cost of the eco-gabion only involves the transportation of tyres, wires to tie them together, metal or bamboo stakes to anchor the tyres to the ground and labour cost.
Kapayan assemblyman Datuk Jannie Lasimbang, who worked with the group to create six tiers of eco-gabion, said the structure was affordable and an eco-friendly measure to stabilise slopes and reduce risk of future disasters.
“With climate change intensifying rainfall and triggering disasters, as we have seen from the devastation caused by numerous landslides around Kota Kinabalu a week ago, we must seek solutions that are both sustainable and cost-effective,” Lasimbang said.
She said the eco-gabion is one such solution, adding that preparation must be done before disaster strikes, using approaches that combine practicality, environmental care and the power of people working hand in hand.
The Kapayan state constituency also witnessed the launching of Skuad Sungai, a volunteer-driven movement that safeguards rivers in conjunction with World Rivers Day, which is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of every September.
“These efforts remind us that solutions don’t always need to come from outside. They can begin here, with our hands, our rivers and our shared determination to protect the places we call home,” said Lasimbang.
