By Shikin Louis & Dayangku Hidayatul
KUCHING, Dec 31: A total of 15 out of 28 water-related projects in Batu Kawah have been completed, with the final major phase scheduled to commence early next year.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said the remaining phase of the project has been awarded and is scheduled for site handover on Jan 5, signalling what he hopes will be the final chapter in recurring floods in the area.
“Phase 1 has already started. For the final phase, the project has already been awarded to a successful contractor and they will hand over the site on Jan 5.
“That is why I hope this is the last time residents here have to endure flooding, as extensive drainage works are currently underway in Batu Kawah,” he told reporters after visiting the flood victims at Kampung Sinar Budi Baru temporary evacuation centre (PPS) today.
Dr Sim, who is also the Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government and Batu Kawah assemblyman, acknowledged that some mitigation works have been slower than expected, attributing delays to the relocation of underground utilities such as water pipes and electricity cables — a process he described as unavoidable to prevent service disruptions.
“If construction proceeded without relocating utilities, the whole area could lose water or electricity. That would be worse,” he said, adding that such complications were not always apparent in earlier planning stages.
One of the key mitigation measures, Dr Sim noted, is the construction of four large detention ponds in Batu Kawah, replacing flood-prone land that would otherwise have been used for housing.
“We chose to build ponds instead of houses because we do not want people living in areas prone to flooding,” he said, adding that four such ponds, covering a total of 20 acres, are under development.
According to the latest information compiled by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID), there are a total of 28 water-related projects in Batu Kawah, divided into three categories: drainage improvement projects, flood mitigation projects and river projects.
The list is as follows:
A) DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS AT BATU KAWAH
| No. | Project Name | Project Cost (RM) | Project Status as of Dec 2025 |
| 1 | Construction and Upgrading of the Drainage System at Lorong Desa Wira 20, Jalan Batu Kawah (Phase 1) | 1,673,350.00 | Completed |
| 2 | Construction and Upgrading of the Drainage System at Lorong Desa Wira 20A, Jalan Batu Kawah | 1,667,250.16 | Completed |
| 3 | Construction and Upgrading of the Drainage System at Lorong Desa Wira 20A1, Jalan Batu Kawah | 1,692,200.00 | Completed |
| 4 | Construction and Upgrading of the Drainage System at Lorong Desa Wira 20B, Jalan Batu Kawa | 1,698,496.00 | Completed |
| 5 | Construction and Upgrading of the Drainage System at Lorong Desa Wira 20B1, Jalan Batu Kawah | 1,736,641.10 | Completed |
| 6 | Construction and Upgrading of the Drainage System at Lorong Desa Wira 20C, Jalan Batu Kawa | 763,328.00 | Completed |
| 7 | Construction and Upgrading of the Drainage System at Lorong Desa Wira 20D, Jalan Batu Kawa | 1,678,678.00 | Completed |
| 8 | Construction and Upgrading of the Drainage System at Lorong Desa Wira 17, Jalan Batu Kawa | 1,700,800.00 | Completed |
| 9 | Construction and Upgrading of the Drainage System at Lorong Desa Wira 17A, Jalan Batu Kawa | 1,666,938.40 | Completed |
| 10 | Construction and Upgrading of the Drainage System at Lorong Desa Wira 20, Jalan Batu Kawa (Phase 2) | 1,698,496.00 | Completed |
| 11 | Construction and Upgrading of the Drainage System at Lorong Desa Wira 17A6, Jalan Batu Kawa, Kuching | 4,375,000.00 | Completed |
| 12 | Construction and Upgrading of the Drainage System at Lorong Desa Wira 17B3 Dan 17B4, Batu Kawa, Kuching | 3,272,500.00 | Completed |
| 13 | Construction and Upgrading of the Drainage System at Lorong Desa Wira 17B1 Dan 17B2, Batu Kawa, Kuching | 3,543,553.73 | Completed |
| 14 | Construction and Upgrading of the Drainage System at Lorong Desa Wira 5, Jalan Batu Kawa | 2,000,000.00 | Under Detailed Design Stage |
| 15 | Construction and Upgrading of the Drainage System at Lorong Desa Wira 5I, Jalan Batu Kawa | 2,000,000.00 | Under Detailed Design Stage |
| 16 | Construction and Upgrading of the Drainage System at Lorong Desa Wira 5J, Jalan Batu Kawa | 2,000,000.00 | Under Detailed Design Stage |
| 17 | Construction and Upgrading of the Drainage System at Lorong Desa Wira 5I & 5J, Jalan Batu Kawa | 2,000,000.00 | Under Detailed Design Stage |
| 18 | Proposed Construction and Completion for Proposed Infrastructure Improvement Works in Batu Kawah for Area 1: Improvement of Drainage System at Lorong 1C and 3, Batu Kawah | 14,200,000.00 | Under Detailed Design Stage |
| 19 | Proposed Construction and Completion for Proposed Infrastructure Improvement Works in Batu Kawah for Area 2: Improvement of Drainage System at Sg. Moyan, Batu Kawah | 11,350,000.00 | Under Detailed Design Stage |
| 20 | Proposed Construction and Completion for Proposed Infrastructure Improvement Works in Batu Kawah for Area 3: Improvement of Drainage System at Sg. Surih, Batu Kawah | 4,383,225.00 | Completed |
| 21 | Proposed Construction and Completion for Proposed Infrastructure Improvement Works in Batu Kawah for Area 4: Improvement of Drainage System at Jalan Field Force, Batu Kawah | 12,474,900.00 | Completed |
| 22 | Proposed Construction and Completion for Proposed Infrastructure Improvement Works in Batu Kawah for Area 5: Improvement of Drainage System at Jalan ketitir, Batu Kawah | 22,503,077.00 | Behind Schedule
Physical Progress: 46.73% (scheduled) vs 38.51% (actual) Variance: – 8.22% |
| 23 | Proposed Construction and Completion for Proposed Infrastructure Improvement Works in Batu Kawah for Area 6: Improvement of Drainage System at RPR, Batu Kawah | 19,880,000.00 | Behind Schedule
Physical Progress: 35.52% (scheduled) vs 24.36% (actual) Variance: – 11.16% |
| TOTAL (A) | 119,958,433.39 | ||
B) FLOOD MITIGATION PROJECTS AT BATU KAWAH
| No. | Project Name | Project Cost (RM) | Project Status as of Dec 2025 |
| 24 | Proposed Flood Mitigation in Taman Desa Wira, Batu Kawa, Kuching | 20,000,000.00 | Ahead Schedule
Physical Progress: 62.97% (scheduled) vs 87.03% (actual) Variance: + 24.06% |
| 25 | Proposed Flood Mitigation in Taman Desa Wira, Batu Kawa, Kuching (Phase 2) | 44,000,000.00 | Letter of Award (LOA) has been issued to the contractor on 24/12/2025 |
| TOTAL (B) | 64,000,000.00 | ||
C) RIVER PROJECTS AT BATU KAWAH
| No. | Project Name | Project Cost (RM) | Project Status as of Dec 2025 |
| 26 | Construction of a Bridge Connecting Batu Kawa Riverside Park to Kg. Rantau Panjang | 3,456,000.00 | In Planning (DPr)
Ongoing submission of siting application through ESPA by the consultant. The consultant submitted the hardcopy of the siting application to L&S on 09.10.2025. |
| 27 | River Clearing and River Rehabilitation Works in Sarawak | 6,970,000.00 | In Planning (DPr)
The final project list based on the 2026 Approved Funding of RM 2.0 million has not been finalised yet. It will include some projects in the Batu Kawa Constituency. |
| 28 | Restoration of the River Corridor at Kampung Rantau Panjang (Phase 2), Kuching Division, Sarawak | 31,000,000.00 | In Planning (DPr)
Consultant and Surveyor appointment will be carried out in 2026. |
| TOTAL (C) | 41,426,000.00 | ||
| GRAND TOTAL (A+B+C) | 225,384,433.39 | ||
— DayakDaily
