MIRI: The State Disaster Relief committee has called on all divisions in Sarawak to start early preparations to face the landas
season.
The landas in Sarawak – which is the equivalent to the monsoon in peninsular Malaysia – brings heavy rain and also flash floods.
The state committee in Kuching has directed all divisions to look into flood-relief preparations.
A written directive has been issued to all divisions to convene meetings among government agencies like the Resident Office, District Office, Fire and Rescue Department, Public Works Department, Civil Defence Unit, Drainage and Irrigation Department, police, local councils, Meteorological Department and others involved in flood-readiness.
In Miri, the resident office will chair a meeting with all these departments today.
Miri mayor Adam Yii said they are prepared for the possibility of floods and erosion and said that the ground works have been done.
“Preparations are in place. Mitigation works on flood and erosion prone areas have been done.
Of course there will be salients details that will need to be monitored all the time,” he stressed.
The Public Works Department, Geosains Malaysia, Drainage and Irrigation Department as well as Geological Department have carried out ground visits to conduct soil checks in landslide-prone areas at Canada Hill in Miri.
Parts of the hillslopes and roads that had cracked up due to recent spates of erosion had been repaired ahead of the year-end.
Yii said repair works have been done to stabilised the slopes.
A check by The Star saw the
erosion-prone slopes at Canada Hill being reinforced by concrete.
The torrential downpour early this year saw Kg Lereng Bukit, Kg Pujut Tanjong Batu and other places hit by erosion, floods and mudflows.
Canada Hill overlooking Miri city is the site of Malaysia’s first inland oil well.
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2018/10/26/bracing-for-a-wet-season/