(MIRI 17th) Miri Member of Parliament Chiew Choon Man issued a statement today expressing deep concern over the severe floods that have recently affected Sarawak and urged the government to implement more effective flood prevention measures to mitigate potential future disasters.
Chiew highlighted that since January 28, continuous rainfall in Sarawak has led to floods in several areas, including Miri, Sibu, and Bintulu, overshadowing what is typically a joyful Lunar New Year atmosphere with disaster.
He noted that discussions on social media and over coffees have shifted from festive foods, red packets, and New Year outfits to rising water levels, landslide risks, and road closures.
"While distributing relief materials in various affected communities, I witnessed many families who were already preparing for the New Year but suffered significant losses due to sudden floods. Their newly purchased furniture was soaked, freshly painted walls damaged, and even family members returning from afar were trapped in the disaster areas."
In addition, a landslide in Kampung Lereng Bukit, Miri, claimed 5 precious lives, exacerbating the seriousness of the disaster. The nearby areas of Sibu and Bintulu also experienced the most severe floods in recent years, with houses, vehicles, and appliances engulfed by floodwaters, causing immense hardship for residents.
Chiew expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for promptly allocating RM25 million for repairing infrastructure damaged by the disaster in Sarawak and Sabah and commended the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) for the RM1,000 "Bantuan Wang Ihsan" (BWI) given. He emphasized that residents in declared disaster areas should receive related assistance, even if they did not relocate to temporary evacuation centers (PPS).
He further urged multiple government departments to take specific actions to alleviate the plight of affected individuals, including the Ministry of Finance providing a 6-month loan deferment and fee waivers for affected families and SMEs; the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development increasing allocations for repairing village roads damaged by floods; the Ministry of Energy Transformation and Water Affairs reviewing and strengthening flood control plans and regularly cleaning rivers and drainage systems; the Ministry of Transport providing repair subsidies or fee reductions for damaged vehicles; the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security supporting affected farmers to ensure the food supply is not disrupted; Economics: prioritizing the approval of infrastructure repair projects in Sarawak and Sabah; the Ministry of Housing and Local Government providing funds to local government to enhance residential drainage systems; the Ministry of Works increasing funding for repairing damaged highways; the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development supporting vulnerable groups to ensure stable post-disaster lives; the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's sustainable development investigates high-risk landslide areas and proposes solutions; the Ministry of Education providing learning materials and tuition assistance for affected students; the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living enhancing the "Rahmah Basket Program" and "Rahmah Sales Program" in affected areas; the Ministry of Human Resources providing special grants through the Social Security Organization (PERKESO); the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (KUSKOP) supporting affected SMEs; the Ministry of Energy Transformation and Water Affairs (PETRA) reviewing whether flood control plans meet current needs and exploring additional flood control schemes.
Long-term solutions require the cooperation of all government departments
Chiew stressed that in the face of increasingly severe climate change, the government must adopt more proactive disaster prevention measures, including upgrading existing drainage systems, regularly cleaning waterways, enhancing landslide monitoring, and optimizing emergency rescue systems.
"This flood reflects many infrastructure deficiencies. It is hoped that relevant government departments will seriously review and formulate long-term plans to more effectively respond to natural disasters in the future."
He also expressed gratitude to all those working on the frontline of disaster relief, thanking them for their selfless dedication in assisting disaster victims and ensuring the smooth progress of rescue operations.
Chiew highlighted that since January 28, continuous rainfall in Sarawak has led to floods in several areas, including Miri, Sibu, and Bintulu, overshadowing what is typically a joyful Lunar New Year atmosphere with disaster.
He noted that discussions on social media and over coffees have shifted from festive foods, red packets, and New Year outfits to rising water levels, landslide risks, and road closures.
"While distributing relief materials in various affected communities, I witnessed many families who were already preparing for the New Year but suffered significant losses due to sudden floods. Their newly purchased furniture was soaked, freshly painted walls damaged, and even family members returning from afar were trapped in the disaster areas."
In addition, a landslide in Kampung Lereng Bukit, Miri, claimed 5 precious lives, exacerbating the seriousness of the disaster. The nearby areas of Sibu and Bintulu also experienced the most severe floods in recent years, with houses, vehicles, and appliances engulfed by floodwaters, causing immense hardship for residents.
Chiew expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for promptly allocating RM25 million for repairing infrastructure damaged by the disaster in Sarawak and Sabah and commended the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) for the RM1,000 "Bantuan Wang Ihsan" (BWI) given. He emphasized that residents in declared disaster areas should receive related assistance, even if they did not relocate to temporary evacuation centers (PPS).
He further urged multiple government departments to take specific actions to alleviate the plight of affected individuals, including the Ministry of Finance providing a 6-month loan deferment and fee waivers for affected families and SMEs; the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development increasing allocations for repairing village roads damaged by floods; the Ministry of Energy Transformation and Water Affairs reviewing and strengthening flood control plans and regularly cleaning rivers and drainage systems; the Ministry of Transport providing repair subsidies or fee reductions for damaged vehicles; the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security supporting affected farmers to ensure the food supply is not disrupted; Economics: prioritizing the approval of infrastructure repair projects in Sarawak and Sabah; the Ministry of Housing and Local Government providing funds to local government to enhance residential drainage systems; the Ministry of Works increasing funding for repairing damaged highways; the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development supporting vulnerable groups to ensure stable post-disaster lives; the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's sustainable development investigates high-risk landslide areas and proposes solutions; the Ministry of Education providing learning materials and tuition assistance for affected students; the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living enhancing the "Rahmah Basket Program" and "Rahmah Sales Program" in affected areas; the Ministry of Human Resources providing special grants through the Social Security Organization (PERKESO); the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (KUSKOP) supporting affected SMEs; the Ministry of Energy Transformation and Water Affairs (PETRA) reviewing whether flood control plans meet current needs and exploring additional flood control schemes.
Long-term solutions require the cooperation of all government departments
Chiew stressed that in the face of increasingly severe climate change, the government must adopt more proactive disaster prevention measures, including upgrading existing drainage systems, regularly cleaning waterways, enhancing landslide monitoring, and optimizing emergency rescue systems.
"This flood reflects many infrastructure deficiencies. It is hoped that relevant government departments will seriously review and formulate long-term plans to more effectively respond to natural disasters in the future."
He also expressed gratitude to all those working on the frontline of disaster relief, thanking them for their selfless dedication in assisting disaster victims and ensuring the smooth progress of rescue operations.