Pan Borneo highway-02

Construction of the Pan Borneo Highway will take into account wildlife habitats, and in certain affected areas like national parks and wildlife sanctuaries special concessions will be given to ensure that there is minimal impact to these with the building of the highway, Bernama reports.

According to Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, the approach taken will provide the least disruption to the animals and their natural habitat. He said this after inspecting construction of the 34 km-long Telok Melano-Sematan stretch in Lundu, which is part of the 1,090 km-long Sarawak portion of the highway.

“In this stretch, we are passing through the Samunsan Wildlife Sanctuary, which is home to the proboscis monkey, clouded leopards, hornbills, langurs, gibbons, turtles and others. To cater to the proboscis monkey, we are building a 270 metre long bridge instead of about 100 metres to allow them free access along the river banks underneath,” he told reporters.

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He said the two-lane bridge – which will be equipped with non-glaring lighting to not disturb turtles – will have very little impact on the mangrove forest in the area. Fadillah added that there will also be wildlife warden posts along the stretch running through the sanctuary to deter poaching.

The Telok Melanao-Sematan stretch was originally scheduled for completion by the end of 2018, but is now expected to be completed in early January, 2019.

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