By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Jan 12: Riverbank protection works alone will not be enough to safeguard riverside kampungs from recurring overflows of the Sarawak River, making the Sarawak River Bypass essential as the ultimate long-term solution, particularly as climate change continues to intensify flood risks, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said.
In a Facebook post following a visit to Kampung Rantau Panjang and Kampung Sinar Budi Lama in Batu Kawa on Jan 11, Dr Sim said recent flooding had highlighted the limitations of existing mitigation measures, despite significant investments in riverbank protection along the Sarawak River.
“Kampung Sinar Budi Lama was the only village affected by the recent floods that did not require evacuation, owing to the Sarawak government–funded Kampung Sinar Budi Lama Riverbank Protection project, which cost RM7 million (with a ceiling of RM10 million), was built three feet higher than the river’s water level, and was completed in 2023,” said Dr Sim, who is also Batu Kawah assemblyman.
He further noted that Kampung Rantau Panjang, on the other hand, was affected during the later stages of the recent floods, although it was previously the first village impacted, as the RM15 million Phase 1 riverbank protection project completed in 2024 only protected 50 per cent of the village, allowing floodwaters to enter through the unprotected areas.
He added that riverbank erosion was also observed along the remaining 50 per cent of the riverbank that has yet to be protected.
“I thank the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) Sarawak for implementing temporary preventive measures following our discussion yesterday.
“I have also requested the department to call for tenders as soon as possible for Phase 2 of the Kampung Rantau Panjang riverbank protection project, which will cover the remaining 50 per cent and is funded by the Sarawak government with a ceiling of RM35 million,” he said.
Dr Sim, who is also Sarawak Minister for Public Health, Housing, and Local Government, stressed that while riverbank protection projects are important, the long-term solution to flooding along the Sarawak River lies in the construction of the Sarawak River Bypass.
“Ultimately, despite all ongoing riverbank protection projects, the Sarawak River Bypass is still needed to protect kampungs along the river from overflows caused by various factors, particularly climate change,” he said.
Explaining the concept, he likened the bypass to traffic management measures, saying, “When traffic jams, we build new roads. When the river ‘jams’, we build a new river.”
He also pointed out that flood mitigation falls under the concurrent list, involving both the federal government through Members of Parliament and the Sarawak government through state assemblymen.
Dr Sim thanked Datuk Amar Fadillah Yusof, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (Petra), for securing federal funding approval for the Rancangan Tebatan Banjir Bandaraya Kuching Fasa 2, also known as the Sarawak River Bypass, amounting to RM2.48 billion.
The project, he said, will benefit kampungs located along the Sarawak River in Batu Kawa, Matang, Kuching, and surrounding areas.
“The Sarawak River Bypass Channel will span eight kilometres, and two kilometres have already been completed under Phase 1 during the tenure of the late Tun Pehin Sri Adenan Satem when he was the federal minister in charge of DID Malaysia, covering the Salak River stretch near the South China Sea,” he said.
He added that discussions would be held on the project’s starting point.
“I will discuss with Datuk Amar Fadillah Yusof on starting the project from Sarawak River at Batu Kawa rather than Salak River near the South China Sea,” he said, adding that although it is a federal project, implementation will be carried out by DID Sarawak between 2027 and 2033. — DayakDaily
