| Azaraimy HH & Daniel Lim |
MINISTER of Home Affairs Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong yesterday visited flood-hit areas in Tutong and Belait districts to better understand the situation and oversee ongoing flood mitigation efforts there.
In Tutong, he praised the government agencies and community leaders involved in tackling the flash floods that have been affecting the Tutong District since middle of November last year.
Speaking at a briefing at the Incident Command Post at the Lamunin Fire Station during his visit to flood-prone areas in the district yesterday, the minister congratulated the government agencies for using their assets to lighten the impact of the floods on members of the community, especially the use of military trucks for transportation.
The minister also commended the Tutong District Office for helping to successfully coordinate with the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) and the District Disaster Management Centre (DDMC) in handling the flood situations.
“We hope this strong cooperative spirit will continue. Thanks to Allah the Almighty, the situation at affected areas has improved.
“Affected roadways have dried up, but we cannot predict what will happen in the coming days due to the unpredictability of the current weather condition,” he said.
The minister was briefed on the current flood situation in the district before his tour to the areas recently affected by flash floods caused by continuous heavy rains.
The briefing was led by Tutong District Officer Haji Shamsul Bahrin bin Haji Mohd Hussain. The minister visited several flood-affected areas including Jalan Rambai, Jalan Kuala Ungar/Rambai, Jalan Bengkuru and Jalan Kecil Layong.
Several members of the Legislative Council (LegCo), mukim penghulus and village heads also accompanied the minister during the visits.
The minister’s entourage included Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Yusof, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA); Ajman bin Haji Meludin, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Security and Welfare) at the MoHA; Colonel (Rtd) Pengiran Haji Maiddin bin Pengiran Haji Said, NDMC; as well as officers from the Fire and Rescue Department, Royal Brunei Armed Forces, Royal Brunei Police Force and NDMC.
In the Belait District, the minister and his delegation gathered at the multi-purpose hall of Sungai Mau to listen to a briefing delivered by the Station Commander of the area on the current situation faced by flood-affected residents in the district.
Following this, the minister visited several areas including Kampong Sungai Mau, Kampong Bukit Sawat and Kampong Merangking.
Also present during the visit were the Permanent Secretary at the MoHA, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the MoHA, Director of NDMC and Acting Director of the Fire and Rescue Department; Abdol Hazis bin Haji Ahad, Acting Belait District Officer; YB Hanapi bin Mohd Siput, LegCo member; as well as officers from the NDMC and senior officers from the ministry.
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