KUCHING: Sarawak will adopt the dry retention pond method to address flooding issues in Kampung Sinar Budi, Batu Kawa, said Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian.
He said the dry detention pond will be built in the village area at a cost exceeding RM14 million.
“Recently, I had the pleasure to witness Sarawak Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) presents an appointment letter to successful contractor for the construction of this dry retention pond, costing more than RM14 million.
“This is the third dry pond in Batu Kawa as part of solutions to solve the flood mitigation issues. We have two other dry ponds under construction with each costing more than RM20 million,” he said.
Dr Sim who is Batu Kawah assemblyman said this in a video posted on his official Facebook page on Wednesday.
He said that the dry pond in Kampung Sinar Budi spans over five acres and can hold up to 30,000 cubic meters of water.
“This is a new concept to address the excessive amount of rainwater and temporarily hold it in one area before going into the river. The flood mitigation initiatives in Batu Kawa is mainly at local level solutions.
“Beyond the local level, we need to address the Sungai Sarawak overflow, which is expected to cost the federal government more than RM2 billion,” said Dr Sim.
