The weather has been very kind lately.
Hopefully the sunny days will help to reduce the impacts to those who are currently suffering from the recent tragedy. Some places are still flooded for up to 1 meter (3 feet) or more. So, the water level is still considered high and risky.
The same goes to those who are suffering from landslides. Lets hope the weather will be "right" for us here in Brunei. I mean "right" weather = Not too hot, not too heavy rain.
I am sure there are some learnings picked up by the relevant authorities from this unexpected disaster. "Pusat Khidmat Bersepadu" was created in some places so that assistances can be given immediately to the victims. I was hoping for the National Disaster Management Center to have its own 3 digit hotline number rather than sharing a 3 digit hotline number with the Fire and Rescue unit. Although NDMC is under the custodianship of Fire and Rescue Unit, the scope, membership and magnitude of NDMC problems differ quite tremendously.
I am also hoping the Ministry of Development will pull their acts together and react to resolving problems as quickly as possible. The PWD (Water) did quite a number of excellent initiatives which deserves our admiration, e.g. putting extra water distribution points, introducing plastic-container water supplies, etc. However, the PWD (Roadwork) needs a wake-up call. The potholes are too many to be ignored. I have seen and heard a few cars have suffered severe damages because of these potholes. Luckily, there are no casualties yet but PWD (Roadwork) should not wait for that to happen before they react. Right?
The Department of Electrical Services, I think, will have the biggest challenges of all. It is not as simple as replacing the electrical towers or poles. The DES must give due consideration to make sure there is no risk of future landslide which could affect these tall structures!
Anyway, well done to all the relevant authorities and keep up the good work. The country needs all of us to work together and take responsibility.
I leave you with some photos of the landslide in Sg Liang.
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