KUCHING (Oct 22): A flood mitigation project worth RM87 million is set to bring long-awaited relief to more than 1,000 households in the Stampin Resettlement Scheme, where residents have grappled with flooding for over five decades.

Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said the project, expected to be completed within 30 months, would benefit approximately 9,000 residents by addressing long-standing drainage problems in the area.

He acknowledged that the resettlement scheme had lacked a comprehensive drainage system for decades, contributing to persistent flooding during heavy rainfall.

Dr Sim, who is also State Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government, said the first phase of the project, to be implemented by the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), would focus on upgrading the main drainage network to improve water flow and reduce the risk of flash floods.

“This includes integrating drainage channels that lead toward the Sarawak River and incorporating designated drainage infrastructure to facilitate smoother water flow, thereby reducing the risk of flash floods,” he said at the project’s groundbreaking ceremony here.

He explained that drainage improvements must begin with the main trunk drains before smaller drains along residential lanes could be connected to the network.

“We must first establish the large, main drains, and then connect the smaller drains to the main ones.

“If we were to start with the smaller drains, the rainwater would still not flow into the main network,” he said.

Dr Sim said the current phase would concentrate on strengthening the overall drainage network and flood mitigation capacity, while improvements to drains in front of individual homes and along smaller lanes would be undertaken in subsequent phases.

He said the relatively lengthy construction period was necessary because the project involved areas with existing water pipes and other public utilities, requiring careful coordination to minimise disruption to residents.

“Drainage projects are complex; beyond requiring a thorough understanding of local topography and water flow patterns, they must also account for factors such as surrounding land development, drainage outlets and river water levels,” he said.

Citing the Sarawak General Hospital area as an example, Dr Sim noted that flooding had recently occurred in places that had not previously experienced such problems.

He attributed this to development in surrounding areas, which had altered the original topography and drainage conditions, leaving certain low-lying areas vulnerable to waterlogging.

“This highlights the necessity of incorporating drainage systems into development,” he said.

Dr Sim also pointed out that climate change had brought increasingly unpredictable heavy rainfall, making it necessary to reassess conventional approaches to drainage planning.

He said relying solely on historical rainfall data from the past century might no longer be sufficient to anticipate future extreme weather conditions.

Instead, he stressed the importance of adopting modern techniques, including computer modelling, to assess drainage requirements under different rainfall scenarios.

“The government will continue to implement drainage improvement projects in phases, progressively enhancing local flood mitigation capabilities to ensure a safer and more comfortable living environment for all,” he said.