Govt asked to start integrated river basin project to ease Batu Lintang’s flood woes
KUCHING: The Sarawak Integrated River Basin Development project should be promptly implemented to help Batu Lintang residents affected by flash floods.
In saying this, George Lam, who is special assistant to Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii, pointed out the federal government had set aside RM150 million for the project in the Greater Kuching area, which includes Batu Lintang.
“I was on the ground to meet up with the residents there (Batu Lintang) upon receiving a phone call yesterday afternoon. I felt the frustration of the residents after listening to them, and that the Batu Lintang area is much higher than the rest of Kuching, but now the local residents are facing a situation where the rain is bound to be a disaster, and everyone lives a life of fear whenever the heavy rain hits.
“Their houses there are flooded to varying degrees every time it rains, and the most recent one was so severe that it was flooded up to two feet (0.6 metres). This level of flooding has caused a lot of damage,” the Democratic Action Party (DAP) leader said in a statement yesterday.
Lam said there is an earth drain behind Lorong 8 Batu Lintang that functions to discharge rainwater for the entire Greater Batu Lintang area.
According to him, if not cleared for more than three months, the drain would be overgrown with weeds and trees, affecting drainage and leading to flash floods during downpours.
He called on Kuching South City Council (MBKS) to address the plight of residents and arrange regular cleaning before the flood mitigation project is implemented.
He recalled that last October, the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, MBKS, and Kuching North City Commission had announced a flood mitigation project would be carried out in the Batu Lintang area, including the construction of two detention sites of 1.5 acres and 1.9 acres respectively, as well as two drainage ditches with a reinforced concrete structure measuring about 300 metres in length.
Lam said the project had yet to begin as scheduled after the tender for works.
When implemented, he said the project would improve drainage in Batu Lintang so that rainwater could be discharged in time to prevent flash floods.
He also requested the authorities compensate residents for the soil erosion caused by floods, which had already caused fences to sink and holes in the ground.
“The residents’ demands are not excessive and the authorities should consider assisting the local residents in rebuilding their fences and sunken floors when carrying out the works, as the authorities have long ignored the importance of local drainage,” he claimed.
“DAP’s Bandar Kuching Constituency Service Centre will be monitoring the progress of the project and will assist residents in making their voices heard, if necessary.”