By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, March 12: Of the 21 flood mitigation projects approved in Sarawak from 2021 to 2025, only three have been completed and just one has been found to fully achieve its intended purpose, according to Padungan assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen.
The statement came after yesterday’s (March 11) heavy and intermittent rains triggered severe flash floods across many parts of Kuching, bringing traffic to a standstill and sending floodwaters into car porches and even living rooms of residential houses.
Despite hundreds of millions, and in some cases billions, of ringgit reportedly allocated for flood mitigation projects in Sarawak, Chong said the deluge exposed the limited effectiveness of Sarawak’s flood prevention measures.
He pointed to the Auditor-General’s first report for 2026, which highlighted significant delays and shortcomings in the planning and execution of these projects by the Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government (MPHLG) and the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) Sarawak.
“The report showed that as of Sept 30, 2025, only three of the 21 projects were completed. Four projects were under implementation, while 14 remained at the pre-implementation stage.
“Out of the three completed projects, only one achieved its intended purpose fully, while the remaining two failed to prevent subsequent flooding,” he claimed.
According to the report:
- 2021–2022: Nine projects were approved, but as of Sept 30, 2025, only one was completed, three were at the implementation stage, and five remained at pre-implementation.
- 2023: Six projects were approved; only two were completed, one at implementation stage, and three still at pre-implementation.
- 2024: Five projects were approved; all five remained at pre-implementation as of the audit date.
- 2025: One project was approved; as of Sept 30, 2025, one was completed, three at implementation stage, and five still at pre-implementation.
Chong criticised the lack of clear timelines in the DID’s strategic plan, saying it contributed to the slow progress and ineffective monitoring of these critical infrastructure projects.
He called on Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian who is also the minister overseeing both MPHLG and DID, to heed the Auditor-General’s comments and take urgent action to expedite the completion of all flood mitigation projects to prevent future disasters. — DayakDaily
