KUCHING: The Sungai Sarawak barrage has been hailed as the facility that saved the city from major flooding, the Star reported.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu said if not for the barrage, the river could have burst its banks and spilled over to the Waterfront and affected other parts badly.
“On Dec 25 and 26, the water levels went over 10m because of the King Tide as well as the floodwaters that were flowing into the river. “So if we did not have the barrage to control the water level, Kuching would be flooded,” he told a press conference here.
He said on Christmas, the seaward water level reached danger level at 11m but because of the barrage, water level on the city side of the barrage was controlled at 10m.
He said similarly to yesterday’s flash floods, the barrage was actually doing its job in discharging the water to the sea. However, he said, the sudden downpour brought 150mm of rain in just three hours, causing drains and other channels to overflow quickly.
It was learned that all six of the barrage gates were opened to discharge excess water but in certain areas, floodwaters could not flow out fast enough, hence the flash floods.
Jabu, who is state Disaster and Relief Committee chairman, said that after 8am yesterday, the water had reverted to a safe level but assured that the authorities would continue to monitor this since the State Meteorological Department predicts rainfall to occur until tomorrow.
He went on to also defend the Sibu flood mitigation project, saying that it was because of this that Sibu was flood-free during Christmas. He said the nine water pumps installed as part of the project, discharged three cubic metres of water every second and this helped alleviate flooding in the area.
Three more pumps will be installed soon. “So we are solving the problem where it is technically possible. The government is improving in whatever ways possible,” he said.
He said if budget allowed it, his committee was also looking into installing more cameras in flood-prone Batu Kawah so it could monitor flood situations there and deploy assistance speedily.
