BINTULU: More help is on the way here after being severely inundated by floods following a four-day downpour and floodwaters rising as high as the second floor of a building, says Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
The Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister, who is also Bintulu MP, said additional personnel from the Sibu and Miri Fire and Rescue stations as well as those from Labuan and Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, are expected to arrive today to assist with disaster relief efforts.
“At this critical juncture, I am immensely grateful to the Sarawak disaster management committee for promptly activating its 24-hour emergency response mechanism.
“Through close coordination with the Resident’s Office, the relevant authorities – including the Fire and Rescue Department, the Civil Defence Department, the military and the police – have been swiftly mobilised to carry out rescue and relief efforts in affected areas,” he added.
Tiong said two speedboats from the Progressive Democratic Party’s central region disaster relief task force will also be deployed to support rescue operations.Five relief centres are operational in the constituency: Pusat Sukan BDA Kidurong; Balai Raya Jepak; Stadium Muhibah; Dewan Suarah Bintulu; and Dewan SMK Assyakarin Sungai Plan.
Tiong said Sungai Sibiew has been unable to effectively discharge excess water due to flaws in the drainage system.
This, in turn, has caused a rapid surge in river levels.
“The worst-affected areas are clearly those surrounding Sungai Sibiew. (This is) a direct consequence of the long-overdue deepening and widening of the riverbed,” he said, adding that the riverbed project has not seen progress despite being proposed five years ago.
