Drainage for nine villages along Sungai Sarawak to undergo upgrading works
KUCHING: Flash flooding, which has been a bane for residents of nine villages downriver Sungai Sarawak here, will soon be a thing of the past once the upgrading works on the drainage in the area reaches completion.
According to Assistant Minister of Rural Electricity Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi, the RM1.35-million project is listed under the Rural Transformation Programme ( RTP) developments slated for Pantai Damai constituency next year, with works to commence possibly in the first quarter.
This would involve construction of drainage for Kampung Boyan and Kampung Pulo Ulu, as well as upgrading works on the system in Kampung Panglima Seman Ulu, Kampung Panglima Seman Lama, Kampung Semarang, Kampung Pulo Hilir, Kampung Bintawa Ulu, Kampung Bintawa Tengah and Kampung Bintawa Hilir.
“These villages, classified as being under the Sebarang Hilir area, are actually not sitting on a lowland.
“It is just that they do not have proper drainage that can handle considerable in- flow of water that not only causes flash floods, but also triggers the breeding of mosquitoes due to the stagnation caused by slow ebbing,” he told reporters after conducting the project site near here yesterday.
Dr Abdul Rahman, who is Pantai Damai assemblyman, further regarded the project as one ‘desperately needed’ by the villagers there.
“Flash floods are frequent here. So I believe that they would benefit very much from this development, once it reaches completion,” added the assistant minister, who was accompanied by his private secretary Mohamad Hasfa Salleh during the site inspection.