KUCHING, Aug 26: The riverbed survey work for the Rajang and Igan rivers by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) will begin next week and is expected to be completed within six months.
Dudong assemblyman Dato Sri Tiong King Sing said he was informed of this by DID Kuching director Ir Ahmad Denney Ahmad Fauzi during a meeting yesterday (Aug 25).
Tiong said the survey work on relevant rivers with sedimentary build-up is to find out the root causes of stagnant waters and formulate solutions to reduce flash floods.
“Right now, we can see with our own eyes that the tributaries of the rivers have become much more stagnant due to a lack of regular maintenance. This worsened the flow of the river waters and raised the water levels to an alarming level parallel with the river banks.
“The dredging works done by the authorities are too infrequent and limited in scope. All in all, a lot of sediment and waste is deposited at the river’s bottom, causing more blockages and taking away nature’s ability to drain excess rainwater to the rivers smoothly,” he said.
Tiong, who is also Bintulu MP, thus suggested that the improvement and maintenance of the drainage in each residential area be placed under the purview of DID.
He said a comprehensive study must be conducted to aid future planning and upgrade all mud drains to reinforced concrete drains according to the natural gradient.
“Without this, many low-lying areas will be subject to more floods caused by excess rain. With the problem of climate change gradually worsening, it is vital for us to determine how our current flood mitigation systems can manage,” he said in a statement today. — DayakDaily
