AGEING drainage systems, an obsolete drainage master plan, haphazard and rapid development, as well as inefficient maintenance and siltation of drains and waterways, are not the only causes of flooding in Sarawak, Deputy Premier Sim Kui Hian said.
Sim, who is also the public health, housing, and local government minister, told the state assembly that climate change is also causing the floods.
Climate change is happening worldwide, and Sarawak is not spared, he said.
“Climate change is here to stay, and the tell-tale signs are an increase in global average surface temperature by about 0.6C since the 1990s," he said.
This has caused sea levels to rise by about 1cm per decade and the Arctic Sea ice thickness to decrease by 40% in the past 40 years, he said, adding that major glaciers around the world are retreating.
He added that precipitation has risen to to return as intense rainfall, leading to more frequent and severe flooding even in places where floods were previously unheard of, such as Dubai, Kenya, and Saudi Arabia.
Sim said climate change had also made the El Nino phenomenon more common and more intense. El Nino describes the warming of the ocean surface, or above-average sea surface temperatures, in central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
That had led to parts of Asia and Africa experiencing an increased frequency and intensity of drought.
Sim said the Sarawak government will continue to undertake intervention measures to address flash floods, such as the 2016 Sarawak Urban Stormwater Management plan.
The plan employs “timely proactive measures” to change the rapid disposal of surface water runoff to a “more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach of controlled-at-source”.
Sim said Sarawak also needs more funding for drainage development projects to overcome flash floods. – May 15, 2024.
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