by DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Feb 1: While the focus often lies on post-flood relief efforts, a proactive approach is urgently needed to address more pressing flood issues in Sarawak, says former Bukit Assek assemblywoman Irene Chang.
In the case of flooding in Sibu, Chang highlighted oversight on safety measures due to the lack of signposts or barriers around drains at all flood-prone locations.
“When floodwaters rise and obscure the road edges, motorcyclists are at a heightened risk of inadvertently dropping into uncovered drains, which could result in serious accidents or injuries.
“The lack of warning signs exacerbates this danger, especially when visibility is compromised due to murkiness or poor weather conditions,” she said.
“During my recent inspection of the flood-affected areas I observed with deep concern that roads at Belian Road, Merlin Road, Jalan Geronggang and Hua Kiew Road don’t have any clear signage or indicators at their edges to alert road users to the presence of the drains.
“Complaints have also been received from those in Ulu Sungai Merah that they are facing the same problem at Ling Kai Cheng Road as they didn’t know where was the edge of the road.
“This oversight poses a significant safety risk, particularly for motorcyclists who navigate these roads, especially when the floodwaters are murky which cause the drainage to be not immediately visible,” she added.
There is also the issue of pending flood mitigation projects.
She pointed out that rather than just being prepared for the aftermath, the local authorities should take proactive measures to prevent or to at least minimise the effects of King Tide and the monsoon season, despite these pending flood mitigation projects.
“In fact, the yearly flooding is a stark reminder of the long-standing neglect by the authorities in addressing this issue.
“While it may be claimed that the flood mitigation project takes time to be implemented and to be fully effective and also while natural factors such as heavy rainfall do play a role in causing floods, failure to take regular steps to reinforce flood prevention measures such as timely clearing and maintenance of the drainage systems and thereby causing the waters not to flow out sufficiently fast enough often contributes to the severity of the flooding incidents,” she said.
As such, she called on the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) and the Department of Drainage and Irrigation (DID) to take proactive measures by ensuring that all drains are always properly irrigated and desilted and cleared of rubbish at all times to safeguard the lives and property of the people. – DayakDaily
