Brunei's Local News - Brudirect.com

Bandar Seri Begawan - The Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Development paid separate visits yesterday to parts of the country that have been affected by floods, landslides and other calamities caused by had weather conditions.

Minister of Home Affairs Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Adanan Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Hj Md Yusof began his visit to the affected area in Kg Berangan where he met with officials from the Public Works Department and discussed issues on how to alleviate the problem and when to begin repair works.

The minister then proceeded to visit other parts of the country that had been affected such as Jalan Dadap, Sengkurong and then off to the Tutong District where he was given a briefing on the current situation at the NDMC operations centre in Lamunin Fire and Rescue Department Station.

Apart from the landslides that affected parts of Jln Berangan in Bandar Seri Begawan and Jln Dadap in the Sengkurong area, parts of the interiors of Tutong and Belait have also been affected by floods.

Road closures have been made in parts of the interior regions with ferry services being provided for residents of the affected areas that are under more than two feet of water, such as Kampung Panchong and Kampung Layong in Tutong.

His trip to the Tutong District began with a visit to Kampung Panchong and Kampung Layong where he spoke to many of the residents who were affected by the calamity and reassured them that every effort was being made to remedy the situation.

Assessments of the damage done to parts of the country revealed that apart from several problem areas that have been identified in the past, other parts of the country have also been affected recently.

Minister of Development Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Abdullah Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar visited some areas such as Kampung Tasek Meradun, Jln Tutong, near the Pengiran Anak Puteri Hjh Majeedah Nuurul Bulqiah Religious School. Jalan Tutong was one of four roads leading to Bandar Seri Begawan area that were affected by landslides.

The Road Works Department is currently advising commuters to avoid using any of the four roads during these bad weather conditions and that clearing works to remove the mud and earth will be carried out as soon as possible.

The purpose of the visit by the Minister of Development was to make assessments of the affected areas and plan for the appropriate measures needed to be carried out in order to restore normal living conditions for the residents.

The Minister of Development was accompanied on his rounds by the deputy minister Dato Paduka Dr Hj Mat Suny Hj Mohd Hussein, the permanent secretaries and other senior officials as well as department heads. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times