FRUITFUL JOINT VISIT TO BERHALA ISLAND BY CDO TANJUNG PAPAT AND HPUC

SANDAKAN: A joint visit to Berhala Island by a team from the Tanjung Papat Community Development Office and the Sandakan Municipal Council Highway and Public Utilities Committee (HPUC) proved to be both informative and helpful.

“I would even say that the visit was enlightening because even though Berhala Island is just a short boat-ride away from Sandakan Town, the gap in living standard and available amenities between the two places was just too apparent to be ignored,” noted Head of HPUC Taren Sunil Manoharan

Together with Tanjung Papat CDO Maxmillon Lee and his officers, the HPUC members made a tour of the island to identify shortcomings that needed to be addressed.

They checked out the new walkways built by the Sandakan Municipal Council and found them to be up to the required standard. However, the jetty needed to be upgraded and reinforced.

The team inspected the wells and water that has been pumped up, filtered and stored in large tanks to ensure it was clean.

“We find the use of solar energy to power water pumps to be a very appropriate choice as they helped cut maintenance cost and expenditure on fuel,” said Taren Sunil. 

The group also agreed that it would be good if a multi-purpose hall could be built for the convenience of the residents where they could organise functions during festivals and weddings.   

One area that required urgent attention was the public toilet. Both the toilet building itself and the walkway leading to it were very rundown. HPUC took note of the situation and will approach the relevant authorities to rectify the problem.

The team also visited Berhala Kecil and found that the residents had only a small stream as their source of water.

“We will have to deal with this issue without delay. We must find a way to provide them with clean water for their daily needs,” Taren Sunil emphasized.

 Electricity in both Berhala Island and Berhala Kecil are all from personal generators.

A meeting will be held to discuss and decide on how to go about solving the problems the joint team encountered during their visit to Berhala Island and Berhala Kecil.