Kuching: In the midst of development, the Sarawak Government must prioritise resolving Kuching’s “flash floods” issue.
DAPSY Sarawak Organising Secretary, Chong Hong Hien, made the above statement after receiving complaints from the public regarding blocked drains causing flash floods.
“Over the past few years, the issue of flash floods occurring whenever it rains in Kuching has been constantly repeating. Just this past Sunday, after a brief three-hour downpour, multiple areas experienced flooding, including the residential area along Jalan Ong Tiang Swee in the Batu Lintang constituency,” he said.
He said, according to complaints from local residents, after just three hours of heavy rain, the drainage system in the area was unable to cope with the massive volume of water, causing it to overflow and even flood their homes.
“This is not a recent issue but a rather long-standing one. Local residents have lodged multiple complaints to the Kuching South City Council (MBKS) and even submitted petitions. However, these complaints have ultimately fallen on deaf ears with no follow-up.
“Furthermore, they had also reported the blocked drainage issue through the Talikhidmat system, but bafflingly, the system showed that the issue was already ‘resolved’,” he added.
Chong stated that these flash floods are not merely natural disasters, but rather man-made disasters caused by the government’s inaction.
“According to the Auditor-General’s Report (1st Quarter, 2026), the Sarawak Government approved 21 flood mitigation projects for Kuching between 2021 and 2025.
“Yet, as of today in 2026, only 3 projects have been completed, 4 are ongoing, and the remaining 14 have not even started. To make matters worse, of the 3 completed projects, only 1 has successfully met its objective of preventing flash floods. Such construction efficiency is truly astonishing,” he said.
Chong pointed out that while the Minister for Local Government, Dr. Sim Kui Hian, talks about building a glass bridge in Batu Kawah and MBKS Mayor Wee Hong Seng claims that the council’s RM300 million surplus is its reserve fund, one must ask: has the Sarawak Government even begun to address these pressing livelihood issues?
“If so, when can the citizens of Kuching finally rid themselves of the nightmare of flooding after every downpour? It must be noted that Dr. Sim Kui Hian, as the Minister for Local Government, and Wee Hong Seng, as the Mayor of MBKS, possess absolute executive power to resolve the issues of blocked drains and floods.
“Whether the people of Sarawak can truly enjoy a peaceful and comfortable life should not be judged solely by whether Sarawak has a new airport, its own airline, or a glass bridge; more importantly, it depends on whether we can enjoy comprehensive infrastructure, which includes ensuring that the people no longer have to suffer from the woes of murky tap water, water supply disruptions, and floods,” he added.
