KUCHING: The Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) is currently implementing eight flood mitigation projects (RTB) in Sarawak, with a total cost of RM1.56 billion.
Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, said that out of this number, four projects have been completed, namely RTB Sibu Phase 3, RTB Stakan in Kuching, and the upgrading of mechanical and electrical infrastructure for flood and coastal erosion control in Kampung Hilir Oya.
In total, he said Sarawak has received over RM4 billion for flood mitigation-related projects under the 2025 allocation.
“If we include various other projects and such, the number is quite significant.
“Overall, we received about RM4 billion, mostly for flood mitigation,” he told the media after attending the ‘Program Jiwa Komuniti MADANI dan Media’ event here today.
He added that the federal government, through the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) and DID, has developed both short- and long-term plans to address flooding issues, and enhance flood mitigation infrastructure in Sarawak.
For 2025, under the 12th Malaysia Plan (RMK-12), he said a total of 19 projects with various scopes – such as flood mitigation, coastal erosion prevention, river mouth dredging, urban drainage upgrades, and river water treatment and beautification -have been approved in Sarawak, with a combined cost of RM2.17 billion.
In addition, nine projects are in the pre-implementation phase, while six projects are currently being carried out.
As a short-term solution, he said DID is undertaking minor works under the ‘River Conservation Project to Reduce Flood Risk’ initiative with an allocation of RM37.8 million for Sarawak between 2022 and 2024 to carry out 360 small-scale contracts.
He said these mainly involve river channeling works, riverbank stabilisation, and upgrading of channels and related structures to improve river water quality.
He added that the list of projects for this year is being finalised, with a total allocation of RM13.1 million.
Touching on the flood mitigation project at Sungai Golok in Kelantan, he said there has been a restructuring of the project plan, by adopting a new approach that integrates both border security fencing and flood mitigation.
“We’re considering a fence that not only serves as a border control measure but also functions as flood mitigation.
“We’ll bring this proposal to the Cabinet to be unified as a joint program for the safety of the people and the country,” Fadillah said.
