MIRI: The Miri City Council (MCC) has been directed to carry out immediate cleaning works at a key drainage outfall along Jalan Pujut 7 after repeated incidents of rising water levels raised concerns over flash flooding in nearby residential areas.
Pujut state assemblyman and Miri Mayor, Adam Yii Siew Sang, said the stretch where the roadside drain meets the Miri River has been identified as a persistent problem area, particularly during heavy rain, when water levels rise rapidly and overflow threatens surrounding neighbourhoods.
He said a series of site inspections and water level observations had confirmed that the drainage system’s performance was directly affected by fluctuations in the river level.
“Monitoring over several days showed that the water level in the drain rises and falls in tandem with the Miri River,” he added.
“When the river level is high, water from the drain cannot discharge properly. In some cases, there is a risk of backflow, which significantly worsens flooding during prolonged rainfall.”
Yii was speaking after a site visit to the drainage system along Jalan Pujut 7 on Thursday (Jan 22), where he received a field briefing from officers of the Service Centre.
He said the issue was not caused solely by technical limitations of the drainage infrastructure, but also by broader structural constraints and changing weather patterns that have led to more intense rainfall and unusually high river levels in recent months.
“In response, MCC will undertake systematic cleaning works to remove obstructions, restore flow efficiency and improve the system’s capacity to cope with high water levels,” he said.
Yii added that the council would continue to monitor the area closely and roll out improvement measures in stages, based on ongoing assessments and operational requirements.
He also urged residents to report drainage-related issues promptly, saying community feedback remained critical to enabling swift intervention and reducing risks to public safety and property.
