Datuk Sebastian Ting agrees on gazetting of abandoned oil wells in Canada Hill

suppadmin | September 29, 2021

Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture,Datuk Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew welcomed and expressed his full support of the recent statement by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan to gazette abandoned oil wells in Canada Hills as a special area under Public Park and Green Ordinance 1994.

“Yes, indeed, I agree with Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah that Canada Hills played a very important part as a green lung and carbon sink for Miri city therefore it is important for us to protect the ecosystem and environment there. Furthermore, I believe that the improvement and enhancement at the Canada Hills will turn it into an excellent tourist site,” said Ting who is also Piasau State assemblyman.

He added, such actions-preserve and conserving historical values of the place would allow university students doing their degrees and thesis, for tourists and most important of all for the people of Miri to appreciate and remember about the history of Miri from a tiny fish village turned into an oil city with the discovery of first oil well in the country in Miri back in 1910.

On Tuesday (September 28), Minister of Urban Development and Natural Resources II Sarawak who is also Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan attended a briefing session on the issues and report on abandoned oil wells in Canada Hill in Miri.

The briefing session was held in Kuching, also in attended were Assistant Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Datu Len Talif Salleh, State Legal Counsel Datuk Seri JC Fong and Datu Sr Zaidi Mahdi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development and Natural Resources, Sarawak.

During the briefing, the special task force which was formed following the incident of gas bubbling at the abandoned oil well reported by a local English Daily here on September 16 last year, presented findings and recommendations.

The special task force has recommended a proper well plugging of the abandoned oil wells and gazette the site.

The Mineral and Geoscience Department has categorised most parts of the Canada Hill as high to very high susceptibility to landslide occurrence that renders the site is not suitable for any commercial or residential development.

Records also showed that a series of landslides had occurred at Canada Hill, latest in the year 2019.

From the feedback gathered, he said, Miri people are very happy and indeed welcome this important and meaningful decision to gazette Canada Hills as a Special Area, fully protected under Public Park and Green Ordinance 1994.