KUCHING: Batu Kitang has recorded a notable improvement in flood management, avoiding major flooding during the current prolonged rainy season, a stark contrast to previous years when the area was among the first and worst affected in Kuching.
Batu Kitang state assemblyman, Lo Khere Chiang, said the positive outcome was largely due to improved water management at Bengoh Dam, which now played a more effective role as a large-scale water retention system.
“Usually, when there is a flood, villages around Batu Kitang are the first to be affected and often the worst-hit. I have seen this many times.
“But if Bengoh Dam is properly managed, Batu Kitang will not flood,” he said while talking to reporters at the launch of the Housekeeping Training Programme organised by the Kuching Special Needs Association at the association’s building today.
Lo explained that flooding in Batu Kitang was closely linked to a combination of rising tides along the Sarawak River and heavy runoff from surrounding hilly areas.
“When upstream water flow is controlled, flood risks downstream are significantly reduced.
“This time, we did not experience severe flooding. That clearly shows that better dam management works,” he said.
He said lowering reservoir levels during peak rainy months allowed the dam to function as a major retention basin, capable of storing large volumes of rainwater during intense downpours, a crucial factor given Sarawak’s torrential rainfall patterns.
“Our rainfall is not like other places. In Sarawak, very heavy rain can fall within one or two hours.
“Small retention ponds scattered here and there will not work. We need large, properly managed retention systems,” he stressed.
Lo also proposed that Bengoh Dam be further strengthened to serve as a secondary flood-mitigation dam, describing the approach as more effective than relying on small-scale drainage solutions.
“I believe this dam can serve as a major secondary retention system to control floods, rather than depending on small ponds which are insufficient for Sarawak’s weather conditions,” he said.
While Batu Kitang remained largely unaffected, Lo noted that minor flash floods were reported in Kampung Bumbok and Kampung Sudat, partly due to rapid development that slowed water discharge.
