Floods

• Sunday, 15 Dec 2019
  12:57 PM MYT
  By STEPHEN THEN

image: https://apicms.thestar.com.my/uploads/images/2019/12/15/439034.jpg

Floods wrecking havoc in Kpg Kuala Tutoh and dozens of other settlements in interior northern Sarawak. - Pic by villager Michael Ding

MIRI: The floods in remote parts of Sarawak have left victims unable to cook as cooking gas cylinders have gone empty and the alternative – firewood – is wet from the deluge /ˈdeljuːdʒ/.
       Flood victims are sending out messages highlighting their predicament as they are cut off from the outside world and cannot travel to towns to buy more gas.
       The Star on Sunday (Dec 15) received a message from Kampung Kuala Tutoh, where a 72-door longhouse has been inundated by 0.7m of water.
Kampung Kuala Tutoh, in the upper reaches of the Marudi district, is around six hours away by boat from Miri.

        There are about 500 people from the minority Lakiput ethnic group living there.
The village's Lakiput Association senior member Michael Ding said cooking is a daily dilemma now.
        "We in Kampung Kuala Tutoh have run out of cooking gas.
"We cannot refill gas cylinders as we cannot go to the town as floods have cut off all the roads.
        "Travelling by boat is also dangerous as the rivers have swelled and are raging.
"Without cooking gas, we had to rely on firewood – but due to the bad weather since more than two weeks ago, the firewood is all wet.
        "We cannot cook anymore," he told The Star when contacted.
Ding said welfare authorities have sent packages of dry food to the flooded settlement.
        "Dry food like biscuits and canned food come in handy but we urgently need cooking gas," he said.
        Ding said the settlement has been under about 0.7m of water for more than a week and the first floor of the two-storey building is flooded.
The village is one of several dozen populated settlements severely hit by floods caused by the relentless landas season.
The landas in Sarawak is as ferocious as the monsoon on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

Tags / Keywords: Flood , Landas , Sarawak , Kampung Kuala Tutoh , Cooking gas , Firewood , Monsoon

My comments:  

        The water is 'teh-tarik' in colour and so it must be the water from the overflowing banks.   It is understood that Kpg Kuala Tutoh is quite near  the Baram river.  I wonder how much forest area has been logged for timber and for the construction of the Baram dam which was only axed off in 2018.  The bare land upstream will speed up the flow of water downstream.  So the said kampung is plagued by the deluge upstream.  I wonder if the Bakun dam and the Murum dam have also affected the said areas in Miri, Bintulu, Limbang, Lawas and Kapit.  I wonder, wonder, wonder, ........ how i wish i could get first-hand knowledge and information from the victims in the affected areas.
        I hope that these Sarawakians will wake up and rise up to vote GPS government out and support Parti Bumi Keyalang for good and a new Sarawak with little or no floods at all.  Only independent Sarawak with the resources and new leaders, we can fully develop Sarawak.  Sarawak is for Sarawakians. 

   

雨天路滑冲落沟．水淹货卡 司机逃生 砂拉越

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2019-12-12 17:02:37 

雨天路滑冲落沟．水淹货卡 司机逃生

砂拉越

货卡失控撞落沟，司机成功逃生，不过货卡泡在沟里。

（诗巫12日讯）货卡雨夜行驶失控冲落沟，司机第一时间逃生，不过货卡泡在沟里。
昨晚8时，货卡途经沙廉/实打胞路一带时，因下雨失控打滑，继而冲向沟渠。
司机在沟水进入货卡车厢前及时逃出，并爬上路边，全身湿透，没有受伤。
诗巫中央消拯局接到民众投报后火速派员到场协助时，货卡司机已逃出生天。货卡过后由吊车罗里吊往车厂维修。

文章来源 ： 星洲日报 2019-12-12 

 

Mycomments：

从今年10月20日追踪起，这是第12宗 。

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Floods

theborneopost.com Posted on December 10, 2019, Tuesday at 12:02 AM

Be ready to evacuate if flooding occurs, folk in low-lying areas told | Borneo Post Online

The flood situation at Rumah Mokeng.

MIRI: Folks living in flood-prone areas in Bekenu have been reminded to maintain constant alert during the current monsoon season and be prepared to evacuate in the event of flooding, Assistant Minister of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development said.
        She said the meteorological department has predicted the current weather pattern to last until the end of the year, with a rough sea warning also issued to fishermen and those operating small boats.
     “Villagers must be extra prepared to face the monsoon season and I urge the JKKKs (village security and development committees) to ensure that those living in low-lying areas can move to higher ground if the water level rises.
      “We don’t want any untoward incident or loss of lives and properties during the monsoon, so residents must be on full alert,” Rosey, who is Bekenu assemblywoman, told The Borneo Post after visiting the flood-prone Kampung Pitisan and Kampung Tunah in Tiris, Bekenu yesterday.

(From right) Rosey, Jalil and a villager during the visit to Kampung Pintasan Tiris in Bekenu to observe the flood situation there.

      Accompanying her on the visits was Penghulu Jalil Karim.
She said an emergency response team under Miri Resident’s Office had been activated and is on standby to evacuate potential flood victims.
Meanwhile, torrential rain over the past few days triggered flooding in a few villages in Niah and Bekenu, according to Sibuti MP Lukanisman Awang Sauni.
He told The Borneo Post yesterday that he had received reports from affected villagers about the situation at their respective longhouses.
     “At Rumah Mokeng, villagers with saloon cars cannot drive up to their longhouse as the road leading there has been flooded due to heavy rain on Sunday.
     “Residents in Kampung Lajong also complained of a similar situation – that there was no access to their village as the road has been flooded,” he said.
Other villages hit by flooding were Rumah Patrik Libay, Rumah Edward Ekau, Kampung Bulau and Kampung Tiris.
     “I also received a report that soil erosion had occurred at Rumah Philips, Sungai Kara caused by the continuous heavy rain,” Lukanisman said.

My comments:
       Whenever i see floods here and there, it is just natural for me to curse the government for not doing enough to prevent flooding.  Floods can be managed and controlled.  But the Sarawak government has no holistic plan to deal with excess water.
      Do you see that there are two different colours of water?  One is "teh-tarik" in colour and the other one is "kopi-O" colour.  As  responsible residents in the area, you should find out the reasons why.
     In Sibu, when I see the water 'teh-tarik' in colour, i know that it is the overflowing water from the Rejang river.  On the other hand, if the flood  is 'Kopi-O' colour, I know that it is the rain water from the local area.
      The Sarawak government is as helpless as a baby as far as floods are concerned.
      When it is flooding, these YB will come to see it.  When the flood is gone, they forget about it until the next flood.
       The most they can do is to evacuate the flood victims and nothing more than that.

Floods

theborneopost.com   Posted on December 10, 2019, Tuesday at 12:02 AM

More heavy rain in northern Sarawak | Borneo Post Online

        LIMBANG: Low-lying areas in Limbang and Lawas were flooded again yesterday following heavy rain on Sunday afternoon which caused water level to rise.
State Disaster Management Committee spokesman Major (Rtd) Ismail Mahedin said SK RC Kubong was under 0.4 metres of water as water level started rising at 8am.
      “Intermittent heavy rain over several hours, particularly during the afternoon, has caused SK RC Kubong compound to be flooded as water overflowed from the nearby river,” he said.
       A warning was issued by the Drainage and Irrigation Department yesterday after the Ukong Monitoring Station recorded a rise in water level to 5.93 metres at 7am.
        In Lawas, the village where the townhouse of Minister of Works Baru Bian is situated has been hit again by flood when water overflowed to the road and compound of the villages since 3pm.  State Disaster Management Committee said the situation was under control, but urged the villagers to be on the alert and take precautions and report to the authorities if the water level continued to rise.
The agency is monitoring closely the situation and the water level at Trusan river.

The flood situation at SK RC Kubong.

My comments:
Yes, you may blame the heavy rain for the cause of floods in low-lying areas in Limbang and Lawas.  But I see something more than that.  The water is 'teh-tarik' in colour meaning that most water is from the overflowing river.  This means that water gushing down from upstream overflows the banks and floods the area.  The local rain only aggravates the situation.

How far are  Limbang and Lawas from Bakun dam and Murum dam?  I wonder if there was a deluge of water from these two dams.  Water flows in all directions fast.  I wonder how well-conserved and preserved is the land in the upstream.

Proper drainage system in the low-lying areas is important.  But the deluge of water from the dams upstream needs to be channelled properly is even more important.

Floods

theborneopost.comPosted on December 10, 2019, Tuesday at 12:09 AM

GM: Masterplan study proposals to be presented to BDA management board | Borneo Post Online

Rodziah shows the final report of the masterplan study.

BINTULU:  A few recommendations have been received following the completion of the Stormwater Management and Urban Drainage Masterplan Study for Bintulu town in 2018, especially to prevent flash floods, Bintulu Development Authority (BDA) general manager Rodziah Morshidi has said.
She said the study was conducted by a private consultant, Jurutera Jasa (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd, after Bintulu was hit with major floods in 2014.
Rodziah said the finding of the study had been presented and tabled to the BDA Management Board.
She added the same consultant was appointed to look into the best way to address the flash floods at Kampung Assyakirin and the surrounding areas.
As for Kampung Kemunting, she said the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) had their own plan which would be finalised and presented to the Bintulu Division Flood Technical Committee chaired by Bintulu Resident.
“However the plans by DID and BDA will need time to be implemented, so if there are heavy rains in the coming days, or weeks surely the same issue will crop up.
“So we want understanding from people in the villages to expect any torrential rain that will happen to cause the same effect, because what we plan will take time,” she said.
Rodziah was addressing a press conference after chairing a dialogue with DID and representatives from the Village Security and Development Committee (JKKK) of Kampung Assyakirin at Wisma Bintulu yesterday.
She said BDA had received very good feedback from the representatives of the JKKK of Kpg Assyakirin over the proposals recommended by BDA and Jurutera Jasa (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd.
The objective of the dialogue, she added, was to get more feedback from the affected villagers on what is implementable under the masterplan study.
Rodziah also said another meeting would be conducted with the consultant to look at the proposals from the JKKK before presenting them to the committee at the divisional level on Dec 12.
When asked for the exact date of implementation, she said BDA had to look at the budget because all of the recommendations were not allocated for, especially the DID projects.
Topping the list of the DID projects, she said, is to deepen and dredge  Sungai Sebiew as 80 per cent the flood water flow down to Sg Sebiew.
“The state government has decided for DID projects to use BDA funding, but we have to bid under the 12th Malaysia Plan.
“BDA will have to look at extra allocation, the budget now that has been approved, and any additional budget will go through the same procedure,” she added.
DID Bintulu divisional engineer Henry Tuah said Sg Sebiew should be the priority.
“Most of the outlets end up at the Sebiew river, in terms of catchment about 80 per cent of the flash water flow to Sg Sebiew,” he said.

My comments:
        I blame the authorities concerned for not preparing themselves well enough to protect the people from flood-prone areas.  Only when the areas are submerged, the high ranking official start panicked a bit.  And they will show you the plans they have to mitigate the floods which they often blame the abnormal climatic conditions for the cause.  They behave as helpless a baby.  But when the water has subsided, they will forget as soon until the next cycle which i believe will become more frequent than ever before. 
        To save Sarawak from the plague of floods, I call Sarawak to rise up to uproot the present government for good.  I believe that breaking this political and the economic monopoly is the only way out for Sarawak to enjoy a better standards of living and we will stop all these woes of floods.  Give your tickets to Parti Bumi Kelayang for a try, why not?

Floods

theborneopost.comPosted on December 10, 2019, Tuesday at 12:08 AM

Residents of flood-prone areas in Bintulu told to be more vigilant | Borneo Post Online

(Seated from right) Dino, Haidar, Rodziah and Henry with other officers and representatives of Kpg Assyakirin JKKK gather for a group photo after the dialogue.

BINTULU: Residents of flood-prone areas should be more vigilant in view of the torrential rain expected in the coming weeks.
In giving the advice, Bintulu district officer Muhammad Dino Amid said it is important for the people to prepare for the possibility of flash floods to avoid loss of their properties.
“The situation might get even worse following the king tide and the residents must be prepared from now,” he told reporters after attending a dialogue between Bintulu Development Authority (BDA), Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) and representatives of the Village Security and Development Committee (JKKK) of Kampung Assyakirin at Wisma Bintulu yesterday. However, the relevant authorities especially BDA and DID, he added, are doing their best to find solutions for the flash floods that affect some flood-prone areas such as Kampung Assyakirin and Kampung Kemunting.
He said the engagement session yesterday was very meaningful as they could get more input from the people in the affected areas to find short term and long term solutions. Dino believes that with all the input, effective measures could be taken to ease the impact of flash floods and to finally prevent the floods from happening again.
“We want the people to understand the real situation here, what have been and will be implemented. The people must understand flood mitigation measures cannot be implemented in just one day.
“From now on, please be more alert of the condition, especially warning from the Malaysian Meteorological Department,” said Dino.
The dialogue was chaired by BDA general manager Rodziah Morshidi. Among those present were BDA deputy chairman Haidar Khan Asghar Khan, DID Bintulu divisional engineer Henry Tuah, Jurutera Jasa (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd officers and BDA senior officers.

My comments:

Are these people capable of getting the things done properly?  I doubt.  Flush out the ministers who are not able to deliver, that's it!

theborneopost.com

Miri-Marudi road hit by landslides | Borneo Post Online 

Posted on December 10, 2019, Tuesday at 12:01 AM

A landslide at one of the stretches of the road.

    MARUDI: Motorists plying the Miri-Marudi road are advised to be extra careful because several stretches have been hit by soil erosion following heavy rainfall.
    Four landslides have occurred along the road, including in two sections where portions of the road had collapsed and the rest were minor soil movement.
    Assistant Minister of Local Government and Housing Datu Dr Penguang Manggil anticipates higher traffic volume during weekends and the coming Christmas and New Year holidays and urged road users to exercise extra care.
    Penguang said he is addressing the situation for the safety of road users and apologised for the inconvenience caused.
    “I have also discussed with JKR (Public Works Department) on the possibility of looking for an alternative route and building a higher grade road as it is almost impossible to upgrade the existing road following the existing alignment because of the difficult and hilly terrain,” the Marudi assemblyman said.

A section of the Miri-Marudi road hit by landslide.

    Meanwhile, he had requested JKR to put up more road signage and safety measures.
On Dec 3, Penguang had instructed JKR to take remedial measures following his visit to the site with the road maintenance team.
    The assistant minister in the middle of this year had also requested the department to repair the damaged road shoulders, for which approval is pending.
    Heavy rains in June this year caused cracks along numerous sections of the 43.2km Miri-Marudi road which was paved before the Chinese New Year in Feb this year.
    The state government in the run-up to the last state election in 2016 approved the RM77.4-million enhancement project, which involved slope trimming, elevating flood prone sections, laying a stone-gravel base (known as stoning) and tar-sealing of the road surface.
    The road was initially built under the Jiwa Murni project undertaken by the military engineering corps.
    Upon completion, the narrow and windy road was welcomed by users but its condition deteriorated over time, and former chief minister the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem approved the rehabilitation project before the last state election.

Mycomments:

When the land is waterlogged, landslides are the due consequences.  It is as simple as that based on our common sense.  Just remember that heavy downpour means fast rising level of water at Bakun Dam and Murum Dam.  The dams have to discharge the excess and imagine the deluge of water.  Water goes everywhere when there is no proper channel for it to flow.  Water permeating the soil to make it waterlogged and slide.