‘Pump stations are not enough’ – Dudong rep urges SMC to overhaul Sibu’s drainage system; criticise ministry’s lack of action

Dato Sri Tiong King Sing (file pic)

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, Feb 20: Dudong assemblyman Dato Sri Tiong King Sing has urged the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) to overhaul the city’s drainage system, warning that relying solely on pump stations is insufficient.

He said the collapse of a shophouse along Jalan Pahlawan on Feb 13 was not a sudden accident, but the result of long-term underground erosion caused by poor drainage.

Tiong explained that the area has long suffered from waterlogging, with water gradually seeping into the ground and washing away soil bit by bit.

“Because the subsoil here is made up of soft alluvial sediment, the foundations gradually become hollowed out. Over time, this leads to noticeable sinking and structural instability. Locals refer to this as ‘rotten soil’ (烂芭).

“This isn’t a sudden surface collapse. It’s a structural failure caused by prolonged underground water erosion, which slowly weakens the soil’s ability to bear weight,” he said in a Facebook post dated Feb 16.

Tiong, who serves as Federal Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) and Bintulu MP, further said that several areas in Sibu have shown house subsidence, waterlogged roads and soft soil, indicating systemic geological degradation.

He also criticised the long-term reliance on temporary pumping stations, which only remove surface water and fail to address underground water that continues to seep into the soil.

“The water being pumped out cannot keep up with the rate of inflow and can even backflow, creating a cycle of risk.

“Similar situations persist in the Nangka area, where flooding problems remain unresolved, gradually giving rise to structural issues that spread and eventually rebound,” he added.

At the same time, Tiong criticised Sarawak’s Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government (MPHLG) under the leadership of Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, saying the department ignored repeated calls for dredging and drainage improvements.

He said he had even alerted SMC before the last Sarawak election, but no action has been taken so far.

He said the root of the problem is insufficient river capacity, with stretches of the Igan and Rajang rivers heavily silted.

“I have repeatedly emphasised that the siltation in the Rajang and Igan rivers is severe, especially at the Igan River mouth, where the silted area is almost the size of a football field.

“Only a systematic dredging programme to deepen riverbeds, restore drainage capacity, and redesign the drainage structure to channel water directly into rivers can solve the problem at its root,” he stressed.

He added that areas showing significant land settlement require thorough geological assessments by the Public Works Department (JKR).

“If drainage thinking remains limited to pumping water without addressing riverbeds and underground erosion, similar collapses will happen again—it’s just a matter of time and location.

“River siltation and aging drainage structures must be addressed as structural issues. If these critical factors continue to be ignored, the ultimate cost will always fall on ordinary citizens,” he emphasised. – DayakDaily