KUCHING: The Desa Wira flood mitigation project is progressing ahead of schedule and is expected to significantly reduce flash floods affecting about 4,000 residents once completed, says Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian.
Following a site visit with the Sarawak Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID), Dr Sim said the project features detention ponds, pump stations and upgraded drainage infrastructure designed to address long-standing flooding issues in the area.
He said the flood mitigation system adopts the use of detention ponds, a relatively new concept in Kuching, to temporarily store large volumes of stormwater during periods of intense rainfall when existing drainage systems are unable to cope.
“Solving this long-standing issue of flooding requires more than upgrading one or two drains. It demands a comprehensive approach that includes improving both the internal and external drainage systems, as well as constructing detention ponds to provide an effective and sustainable flood mitigation solution,” he said in a Facebook posting.
Dr Sim, who is Batu Kawa assemblyman, said the Phase Two Desa Wira flood mitigation project, funded by the Sarawak government at a cost of RM36.6 million, is currently 11 per cent ahead of schedule.
The project includes a 2.8-acre detention pond with a storage capacity of 30,000 cubic metres of water, as well as pump stations and drainage upgrades. Water collected in both detention ponds will be pumped into Sungai Maong once river levels recede.
He said the project, together with the completed Phase One detention pond at Lorong Desa Wira 7, would mitigate frequent flooding across 58 hectares, including Kampung Sinar Budi Baru.
The Phase One project, completed ahead of schedule at a cost of RM14.5 million, comprises a 3.9-acre detention pond capable of storing about 40,000 cubic metres of stormwater, equivalent to around 12,000 water tankers.
It also included the construction of a 2.5-kilometre reinforced concrete drainage channel, pedestrian walkways, safety railings and improvements to the area’s internal drainage system.
Meanwhile, Dr Sim said the Batu Kawa flood mitigation project involving two detention ponds in MJC and Pine Square is currently about 30 per cent behind schedule due to the relocation of underground utilities and the need for additional funding to carry out the relocation works.
The RM63.88 million project, funded by the Sarawak government, includes drainage upgrading works alongside the construction of the detention ponds.
He acknowledged that while the land allocated for detention ponds could have been developed for housing, doing so would compromise efforts to reduce flood risks.
“We cannot have both. The land could be used for housing, but it would not help mitigate flash floods,” he said.
Dr Sim thanked Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Amar Fadillah Yusof for securing RM2.4 billion for the proposed six-kilometre flood diversion canal linking Sungai Sarawak and Sungai Salak, which he said would help reduce flood risks in Kuching and surrounding areas, including Batu Kawa, during high tides and heavy rainfall.
Although flood mitigation falls under the concurrent responsibilities of the federal and state governments, Dr Sim said his priority has always been to secure funding regardless of its source.
“My practice since 2016 has been simple. Whether the funding comes from the federal government or the Sarawak government, as long as we can get the resources needed to solve the people’s problems in Batu Kawa, that is what matters most,” he said.
