By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Jan 1: Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas today advised the public, particularly those in low-lying areas, to remain prepared as continuous rainfall is forecast over the next few days, coinciding with the king tide expected on Jan 2 and Jan 4.
Uggah, who is also the chairman of the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC), said the Malaysian Meteorological Department has indicated that rain may continue for another two to three days, overlapping with the upcoming king tide.
“Over the next two to three days, there will also be a king tide on Jan 2 and Jan 4, during which water levels are expected to rise.
“We are concerned that if the king tide coincides with heavy rain, more villages and settlements in low-lying areas that are prone to flooding may be affected,” he said during a press conference at the State Operations Room in Wisma Bapa Malaysia today. An audio recording of the press conference was later shared to DayakDaily.
Uggah added that authorities are closely monitoring water levels, particularly in flood-prone areas.
“Monitoring efforts are ongoing, including round-the-clock surveillance of the Sarawak River Barrage, which is equipped with live CCTV and managed by an operations team on 24-hour standby to coordinate response efforts statewide,” he said.
At the same time, he reminded the public that flood preparedness is an ongoing effort rather than something tied to specific dates.
“We are advising the public to stay prepared at all times, and not just for certain dates, because we cannot predict exactly how much rain will fall,” he said.
He noted that while Sarawak’s average annual rainfall is around 5,000mm, there have been instances of extremely heavy rainfall in a single day.
“For example, in Bintulu, 900mm of rain fell in just one day. At that level, you don’t even need a king tide to cause higher water levels—they will rise on their own.
“Thus, our advice is to be ready, particularly in low-lying areas. People have been through this before and know what to do,” he emphasised.
As of 6pm today, SDMC reported that seven temporary evacuation centres (PPS) have been opened in Kuching and Samarahan since yesterday (Dec 31, 2025) to accommodate flood victims.
Affected areas in Kuching include Taman Desa Wira, Kampung Sinar Budi, Kampung Sungai Batu, Kampung Surih Iban, Taman Malihah, and Kampung Sejijak, while Kampung Plaie in Samarahan has also been affected. In total, 790 flood victims from 205 families are currently accommodated in the PPS. – DayakDaily
