KUCHING: Disaster management expenditure in Sarawak is expected to increase by up to 15 per cent this year due to increasingly unpredictable weather conditions.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, said that the Social Welfare Department (JKM) spent RM12.3 million on disaster management in the state throughout last year.
“We have only just entered 2026, yet expenditure for disaster management has already been incurred.
“Therefore, we anticipate an increase, possibly of up to 15 per cent,” she said when met at the MADANI Adopted Village handover ceremony organised by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development at Kampung Buntal Hall in Santubong today.
Nancy said the increase in allocation was part of early preparedness measures, although the government hoped that major disaster situations could be avoided.
She also explained that the situation highlighted the importance of continuous planning to prepare for any eventuality.
“Current weather conditions are difficult to predict and we must be ready to face any possibility,” she said.
In a related development, Nancy said that at the national level, JKM spent RM49.17 million on disaster management last year.
She said the allocation reflected the government’s continued commitment to safeguarding public welfare through the implementation of assistance programmes, particularly during disaster and emergency situations.
