Published: Monday February 9, 2009 MYT 1:48:00 PM
Updated: Monday February 9, 2009 MYT 8:51:56 PM
S’wak floods: 13,000 students sent home from 34 schools
By STEPHEN THEN
MIRI: Some 34 schools in remote northern and central Sarawak have been inundated by metre-high flood waters and about 13,000 students have to stop schooling until further notice.
These students had to be sent back to their villages and longhouses as the boarding facilities in the schools were also flooded.
Flood operation centres throughout the state have informed their central operations centre based in Wisma Bapa Malaysia in state capital Kuching on the latest situation, and have also informed the Education Department about the affected schools.
Information gathered by The Star Monday morning showed that the majority of these schools were in the Baram parliamentary constituency in northern Sarawak and in Mukah Division in central Sarawak.
"Thirty three of these schools are primary schools while one is a secondary school. All these schools are located in low-lying areas, some very near to riverbanks.
"Many of these schools were hit by serious floods last year, too. There was talk of government plans to relocate these schools to higher ground, but so far, nothing has been done," said a community leader who did not want to be named.
A spokesman at the flood operation centre in Baram confirmed that thousands of pupils had been sent home until further notice.
"The weather has improved overall in the towns and villages, but in many parts of the interior jungles, it is still raining intermittently.
"The main problem now is not the rain, but the river water. Most river tributaries continue to overflow their banks, and the river-level remains very high," he said.
The worst-affected district in northern Sarawak is Long Lama, located some 350kms inland from Miri City.
The flood waters in Long Lama is about 13 metres above the normal river-level.
Meanwhile, flights have resumed to the northernmost district of Lawas, situated near the border with Sabah.
The Lawas Airport, closed since last Thursday, reopened on Sunday and flight-connections to all major towns like Miri and Limbang have resumed.
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