KUCHING: Sarawak, with its extensive 1.6 million hectares of peatland spread across the state, utilises a significant portion of this area for constructing roads, particularly focusing on the development of the second trunk road and the coastal road.

Deputy Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas mentioned that the plans are currently in progress for the preparation and eventual construction of elevated roads in Sebuyau, ensuring that all necessary steps are being taken to move the project forward.

“We have three packages there so we are going to do one of the packages.

“Now, one of our consultants is looking at it, and we hope that we will be able to present it to the Premier within a month’s time because the contract for the road construction has already been offered to the company,” he said during the Opening Ceremony of the International Conference on Tropical Geoengineering (Tropicon) 2024 at a leading hotel here, on Thursday.

Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah also clarified that evaluation of costs are being made with the Sarawak Premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg.

He said once the Sarawak Premier agrees, they will announce the project's cost, ensuring that the project is very likely to be on stream.

Meanwhile, he highlighted that this conference holds significance in enabling the development of new cost-saving technologies aimed at stabilising the peat areas in Sarawak.

Also present during the event were Sarawak Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development, Datuk Aidel Lariwoo, Co-Founder of Geotropik, Proessor Ir Dr Ramli Nazir, Chairman of Gabungan Jurutera Perunding Bumiputera Sarawak And Patron For Tropicon 2024, Ir Irwan Zulkarnain Hasbie, Director of Centre of Tropical Geoengineering (Geotropik) Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Chairwoman of Tropicon 2024, Dr Dayang Zulaika Abang Hasbollah, and other distinguished guests. -UKASnews