In good hands: Perak Fire and Rescue Department members rescuing the 21 victims who were trapped at a camp site in Risda Eco Park, Ulu Slim. — Bernama
Residents also facing water supply disruptions due to broken pipes caused by bridge collapse
SLIM RIVER: A Bailey bridge will be temporarily erected to restore connectivity after the main bridge from Jalan Slim River to Behrang Hulu collapsed following heavy rainfall.
Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said the construction of the temporary bridge is expected to take about five days to complete.
“The 77m-long and 7.5m-wide collapsed bridge involves a concrete structure on a state road, specifically on the old Sungai Slim bridge. This main bridge connects Slim Village to Slim River town and Behrang town,” he said after a site visit here yesterday.
Saraani said the main cause of the collapse on Friday was because the bridge could not withstand the pressure from debris carried by floodwaters. Additionally, he said the heavy rainfall has also damaged two other bridges in Kampung Pasir and Kampung Sungai Muda, which connects Kampung Piong.
“No Bailey bridge will be built there as residents can use alternative routes to reach the town,” he said.
Saraani also said residents would be facing water supply disruptions as the pipes broke when the bridge collapsed.
“I was informed there are 10,000 users, so 70% are affected. We couldn’t rush the repairs but Lembaga Air Perak has taken action by deploying water tankers,” he said, adding that repair works would start soonest.
State police chief Comm Datuk Azizi Mat Aris said police have been stationed to monitor the homes left behind by 175 flood victims at two relief centres.
Perak Fire and Rescue Department director Sayani Saidon said a total of 21 victims, including two staff, who were stranded at the Risda Eco Park in Ulu Slim have been rescued.
“A flash flood occurred at Sg Geliting, Ulu Slim, causing a bridge to collapse. It was the only access route to the camping area,” she said in a statement.
She also said the operations commander had directed the team to perform a river crossing technique using a rope system (highline) to evacuate all victims.
“They were handed over to the Eco Park authorities and relocated to a temporary evacuation centre,” she said.
Operations commander Khairil Adli Zakaria said the rescue operation began at 8am and ended at noon yesterday.
“The victims include six male adults, eight female adults, two boys and five girls. All of them are aged between two and 50. It took us about four hours to rescue the victims,” he said, adding that a boat was used to rescue the children. We had challenges with the currents and had to use the boat rafting method to rescue them. All of them are safe,” he added.
In a related development, Friday’s heavy rain over the Perak-Selangor border had caused Sungai Bernam to exhibit extreme turbidity, to the extent of affecting the Sungai Bernam water treatment plant, even up to 6pm yesterday. In a statement, Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd said it is addressing the plant shutdown by monitoring raw water quality while dispatching water tankers to help affected customers.
