St Michael Kironggu hit by land slide in 2021
By Michael Guntili
Oct 14 2022
ST Michael Chapel, Kironggu, which is one of the chapels under St Catherine Church was hit by a landslide triggered by incessant rain Oct 9.
The heavy downpour caused the nearby hill to erode, sending mud and debris crashing down to partially cover the chapel.
This is the third time the chapel was hit by landslide since its inception in 2018.
The first landslide happened in 2018 just after the chapel was constructed, followed by the second landslide last year.
St Michael Chapel floded with mud and sand Oct 11 2022
Last year, the catholic communities had to rent a front loader to remove the earth from the landslides, besides involving the parishioners to clean the compound on a gotong royong basis.
This year’s disaster was minor as compared to the two previous landslides but the Catholic communities, which are estimated to be around 300 congregations, have developed a good sense of ownership. They sprang into action to remove and clean the church compound within three hours.
Gotong royong at St Michael Chapel on Oct 11 2022
Besides cleaning the church compound, they also cleared the debris and logs which clogged the culvert leading to the chapel.
These communities have also utilized their own resources to remove fallen trees on the road for the benefit of all users from time to time.
