Bengoh Dam strong and stable, Rundi assures downstream villagers
KUCHING: Villagers downstream of Bengoh Dam are urged not to worry about the structure of the dam which is described as ‘strong and stable’.
In giving the assurance, Utilities Minister Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi said the Bengoh Dam is designed for long- term adequate and reliable water supply for the people of Kuching and its surrounding areas.
“Apart from being a water resource, it is also built and operated to withstand forces such as severe floods in compliance with industry best practices according to International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) guidelines,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He stressed that his ministry and its agencies are committed towards ensuring the structural integrity of Bengoh Dam through diligent maintenance and effective dam safety programme.
“Regular inspection, monitoring and structural integrity programmes are conducted in accordance with international guidelines and practices to ensure the dam is kept in a safe operating condition at all times.
“The state government had also commissioned a third party independent audit on the dam and the preliminary report affirms the dam’s integrity.”
Recently, claims and speculation have gone viral on social media that Bengoh Dam was under threat following an emergency drill exercise being conducted simultaneously at nine villages located downstream of the dam.
In view of this, Dr Rundi explained that the drills were part of emergency preparedness procedures which were developed in line with global and industry best practice for dam safety management.
“The Kuching Water Board ( KWB) under the Ministry of Utilities conducted the first external emergency drill at Bengoh Dam on Sunday to ensure effective coordination and preparedness in the very unlikely event of an incident requiring evacuation of downstream communities.”
He said the exercise, which involved several agencies as well as communities from Kampung Bengoh, Kampung Danu, Kampung Semadang, Kampung Garung, Kampung Karu, Kampung Giam Asar, Kampung Giam Bauh, Kampung Benuk and Kampung Git, also included evacuation simulations.
“The involvement of the communities is greatly appreciated and we will continue to ensure emergency preparedness through an emergency procedure that is practised on a regular basis by the relevant authorities coordinated by the secretariat of the State Disaster Management Committee (JPBN).”
Dr Rundi pointed out that the emergency drill was based on a simulated dam-break scenario.
“Training is expected to improve not only the efficiency of the rescue team, but also taking into account the community’s involvement in channelling early warning.”
He explained that such exercises help to establish ties and strengthen coordination between agencies involved, particularly the Padawan District Disaster Management Committee (JPBD) and JPBN in scheduling planning, action plans, response and mitigation measures to mitigate any potential negative impact.