MIRI – As the peninsula continues to face floods and landslides, Sarawak authorities have identified some 500 locations in the state at high risk of the same disasters as well as road erosion.
The Sarawak Public Communications Unit said the latest data obtained from the state Fire and Rescue Department shows high-risk locations peppered all over the state.
The unit quoted state Fire and Rescue Department director Datuk Khiruddin Drahman as saying that 349 locations are flood-prone, 97 roads are at high risk of being cut off by erosion, and 77 locations are at risk of landslides.
“Out of the 349 flood-prone areas, 54 are in the division of Kuching, 61 in Samarahan, 23 in Sri Aman, 90 in Sibu, 13 in Bintulu, 78 in Miri, and 30 in Limbang,” said Khiruddin.
His department has put on standby 1,398 ground personnel who will be deployed if disaster hits, he added.
The department has also identified more than 10,000 volunteers who will assist the squads when called upon in times of emergency, Khiruddin said.
Ground checks by The Vibes today found that the water levels of the interior rivers are rising.
There was heavy rain in many parts of the Baram district last night and in the pre-dawn hours this morning.
Social activist Peter Kallang, who hails from Long Ekang, said Sg Baram and its tributaries have swelled after the downpour.
The weather forecast predicts heavy rain over Sarawak, Sabah, and Johor in the days ahead. – The Vibes, December 28, 2021
