MIRI: The RM50 million-Sungai Lutong Zone B Flood Mitigation Project is a priority project that must be undertaken to overcome flash floods in low-lying areas of Lutong and its surrounding areas.
Datuk Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew, the Member for Piasau and Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Art I said it is important to hasten the implementation of project. He said the plan is currently under documentation stage where technical papers are being prepared for submission, under Sarawak Government’s development framework.
Residents have suffered multiple property losses through floods and it is important that this take place with speed, he added. “This flood situation is causing severe problems and damage to the homeowners and we cannot allow it to continue. It is crucial to have a full-on, long-term solution,” he said.
When approved, it will see the building of a retention pond and improving drainage in the Sungai Lutong B catchment. Some of the sub-catchments that will be improved are Lutong National School, Sealine Village, Senadin Jaya Village, Miri Crude Oil Terminal (MCOT) and Senadin Village.
Supplied by Irrigation and Drainage Department (JPS), the project is proposed to be tendered out this year, pending Malaysian authorities’ approval, followed by a 60-month construction period.
Datuk Sebastian Ting cited climate change as the factor that has caused rainfall patterns to be more intense, which in turn leads to a higher occurrence of flash floods in places like Lutong and Riam. Its size and cost could also change if flood mitigation works can be packaged with other infrastructure such as the gas supply network, he said, as an efficient investment that will last for many years in the future.
Besides flood prevention, a few coastal protection projects in Miri are being considered under the EPU allocation at an estimated cost of RM50mil.
One of these is Lutong Beach Protection project, which includes placing 1.45km sand on the beach and build a two-kilometre ground embankment. Other projects are stone embankment at Kampung Bungai Beach, Peliau Bungai Beach, and Kuala Sibuti Village each across one kilometre and the second phase of the Bakam Beach protection project is 0.40 kilometres long.
JPS confirmed that the pre-qualification adaption for these coastal projects closed on 8 January and is currently under technical and financial evaluation.
The flood and coast protection measures collectively demonstrate Sarawak’s ongoing work to protect its vulnerable populations against environmental concerns and promote infrastructure resilience.
