‘Toxic, degrading': Tmn Hilltop Miri residents endure months of unbearable living conditions

Borneo Post

a day ago

Ang points at the septic tank, now precariously 'hanging on' to what is left of her backyard.
MIRI (July 13): The sound of crumbling earth at 3am on Chinese New Year's Eve was the beginning of a nightmare for the three families at Jalan 3A of Taman Hilltop in Miri – one that continues to haunt them until this day.
Forced to be living in stench-filled environment with no gas supply, these families are not only exposed to the risk of developing health issues, but the changing weather further erode the soil underneath this area, putting the remaining walls of the next neighbour to possibly collapse.
Pauline Sim recalled being abruptly woken up to a huge rumbling sound, followed by voices of her neighbours shouting.
'The retaining walls on our backyards collapsed. Prior to this, it had been pouring for a month. My heart really sank because it occurred on the eve of the Chinese New Year.
'It should have been the most celebrated time, but we were forced to face this challenge,' she told thesundaypost .
After the wall collapsed, a strong gas odour was detected.
Police and firefighters were called to the scene immediately, as it was discovered that the gas pipes were damaged following the collapse.
It was a moment of danger, said Sim.
'Had the authorities not intervened, things could take a turn to the worse, like a gas explosion.'
Officials from Miri City Council (MCC) were also called to the scene to carry out investigation.
The residents were told that the collapse of the retaining walls was triggered by ageing structure, exacerbated by strong water flow caused by the heavy rain.
The MCC gave assurance that it would undertake the repair works, in view of the situation being regarded as a collateral damage from a natural disaster.
Sim and others were told that the fast-flowing water might have been slowly eroding the soil underneath the walls, weakening the structure.
The month-long downpour, also classified as natural disaster, was the key contributing factor to the collapse.
Gas supply cut
Due to the damaged gas pipelines, the gas company had cut off the supply on the afternoon of Jan 28 as an emergency measure, fearing that fireworks or firecrackers during the Chinese New Year festivities might trigger a gas explosion.
The incident had adversely affected three houses, comprising 20 residents in total.
These households, having been accustomed to getting natural gas supply, were forced to go without it for nearly two months, before they were able to obtain gas tanks.
'We couldn't buy gas cylinder during the New Year period and the situation persisted after that because the floods in Bintulu had disrupted the production.
'We had take-outs every day and settled for the cheapest meals, but each still cost us RM40 to RM50 because I have a big family. Covering three meals a day, the cost was overwhelming – exceeding my monthly budget,' said Sim, shaking her head in remembering those difficult weeks.
Sim shows her backyard – or what is left of it after the collapse.
The situation was compounded by a region-wide shortage.
Miri, at the time, was facing shortage of cooking gas tanks, as Bintulu was affected by the floods.
Sim said although they were able to get gas tanks later on, she was still anxious about when the repair works would begin.
'With no clear timeline for when everything will resume to normal, we have been left waiting up to this day.'
Unbearable conditions
When the backyard was 'gone', the septic tank that was supposed to be supported by the soil had tilted because of its weight, and the pipe got disconnected from the house.
As a result, each time the toilet got flushed, all the human waste would gush out of the soil, exposed to air.
That, and the stench that came with it, made the living environment unbearable, said a resident Ang Yick See.
'It was a living nightmare, which got worse every single day.
'Imagine waking up every morning to the smell of sewage right outside your kitchen window – it was not just unpleasant; it's toxic, degrading and it's slowly destroying our family's health and our will to continue living here,' she said.
The septic tank, according to her, is now sitting at a dangerously precarious angle – half-dangling into what used to be the drain.
'I worry that if anything were to burst, it might cause a bigger health disaster.'
Ang said the owner of the house that her family had been renting for more than five years, had been reaching out to various government agencies including Miri City Council (MCC), as well as the local elected representative, trying to get attention that would help expedite the repair works.
'We were told that because of disaster, the funding for the repairs should be from the SDMC (Sarawak Disaster Management Committee), to be channelled to the city council as implementing body,' she said.
Sim added: 'During a meeting between us, residents and the city council, the council's engineer promised that they would come to look at the severity of the situation; to see whether they could do anything about the septic tank.
'Nothing has happened yet.'
Miri MP Chiew Choon Man (right) and local Democratic Action Party (DAP) man Alan Ling seen during a recent site visit.
The waiting game
Following the septic tank incident, the homeowners had repeatedly reached out to the authorities, hoping to get concrete action and also the timeline for any repair works.
However, they felt that all efforts had been hampered by bureaucratic delays and 'unfulfilled promises'.
It is said that due to severity of the damage, the houses are listed by the council as the fourth priority to be repaired among all disaster-affected properties.
Initially, in February, the homeowners sought attention from Senadin assemblyman Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin, submitting to him a letter appealing for assistance to expedite the repair works.
They were then told that a letter, highlighting the matter of funding, had been sent to Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman, the Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
The last time thesundaypost checked with the MCC, which was on June 30, the council engineer said that the funding had not been received yet.
Photo, taken right after the collapse of a retaining wall, shows water running fast, eroding all the soil underneath.
The affected families are now calling upon the authorities to resolve the issue without further delay.
It is their hope that the authorities would immediately repair the retaining walls, the gas pipelines and the sewerage, to ensure the safety and hygiene of their residence and its surroundings.
'We are not asking for luxury. We are asking for basic human dignity; the right to live in our homes without being surrounded by sewage; the right to cook for our families; the right to feel safe in our own backyard,' said Sim. focus landslide lead miri Taman Hilltop