RM283m development boost for Puncak Borneo

KUCHING: At least four major infrastructure projects worth RM283 million are set to transform the Puncak Borneo parliamentary constituency.

Of the number, three projects are entering the tender stage and another approved under the 12th Malaysia Plan.

Puncak Borneo MP Datuk Willie Mongin said the projects comprise the Puncak Borneo Phase 2 Water Supply Project, the Biya Jaber Road project, the RM45 million expansion of the Bengoh Resettlement Scheme (BRS), and the proposed SMK Puncak Borneo.

He said the combined developments reflect continued efforts to improve basic infrastructure, education and connectivity for rural communities in the constituency.

The largest initiative is the RM129 million Puncak Borneo Phase 2 Water Supply Project, which has been tendered to expand treated water access to between 18 and 20 villages across the Puncak Borneo and Padawan sub-districts.

The project is intended to connect communities that have long depended on gravity-fed systems or water tankers to a more reliable treated water network.

Originally approved as a federal-funded project, implementation was delayed by road realignment works and administrative bottlenecks.

The Sarawak government later took over the project as part of its statewide initiative to accelerate 79 delayed federal-funded water projects through the Ministry of Utility and Telecommunication.

Willie said while the main works are being rolled out, interim measures including mini water treatment plants, gravity-feed upgrades and booster pump stations are being introduced to ease water shortages in higher elevation villages such as Kampung Sitang and Kampung Bangau.

Another project that has reached the tender stage is the RM24 million Biya Jaber Road, which will provide proper road access to Kampung Biya Jaber off Jalan Puncak Borneo.

The federal-funded rural road is expected to improve accessibility for residents while strengthening transport links within the Padawan area.

Willie also confirmed that the RM45 million Bengoh Resettlement Scheme expansion has been tendered and is awaiting full implementation.

The expansion will upgrade existing infrastructure within the resettlement scheme to cater to the growing population and improve public amenities for local residents.

Meanwhile, the proposed SMK Puncak Borneo, estimated to cost RM85 million, has received approval but has yet to be tendered.

The secondary school will be built on a 25-acre site at Block 174, Pangkalan 4, Padawan, behind Braang Bayur Clinic along Jalan Puncak Borneo, about 20 kilometres from Kuching.

Approved under the 12th Malaysia Plan, the school is expected to accommodate students from the Mambong and Tarat state constituencies, reducing congestion at SMK Siburan, SMK Padawan, SMK Tun Abdul Razak, SMK Tarat and SMK Penrissen.

Willie said the long-awaited school would improve access to quality secondary education for rural families by eliminating lengthy daily commutes while serving as a catalyst for community development in Puncak Borneo.