Ferry service along Sungai Rajang, the longest river in Sarawak. — Filepic
Dredging of Sungai Rajang in Sibu, Sarawak, is the solution to the flooding in the town, says Dudong assemblyman Datuk Seri Tiong Sing King.
He said a collective agreement has been reached to carry out dredging to effectively reduce frequency of flash floods in Sibu, to free residents from the constant threat of floods.
This agreement was made during Tiong’s meeting between the federal Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) and its Sibu branch.
The meeting in Kuala Lumpur on the progress of the flood mitigation project for Sibu was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who is also Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister.
In a statement, Tiong said that during the meeting he had stated that building more pumping stations would not help solve the problem.
“The priority is to complete the hydraulic survey report for Sungai Rajang and Sungai Igan as soon as possible to obtain accurate data.
“This will allow us to begin river dredging works and restore the river capacity to handle rainfall, which is essential in coping with sudden climate changes.”
He added that he was grateful to Fadillah for recognising the urgency of completing the hydraulic report fast and offering RM26mil in funds to finalise the remaining survey work.
Tiong urged the relevant authorities to submit a comprehensive project plan soon, with the goal of officially completing the hydraulic report by March 2025.
He also suggested expanding the riverbed survey to allow multiple teams to conduct surveys simultaneously on different rivers, improving the efficiency of the work.
“After all, Sibu has faced the problem of flash floods for many years, with residents enduring four to five flooding incidents each year.
“It’s truly disheartening for the people to read about government flood prevention measures in the news, only to see no end to it.”
The sedimentation problem in Sungai Rajang and Sungai Igan, he said, was getting worse, including areas such as Bintangor and Sarikei, where stagnant waters were observed, resulting in the river failing to flow smoothly towards Tanjung Manis.
“If dredging is not undertaken soon, future floods will only become more severe,” added Tiong in the statement.
