Sarawak to enforce stricter flood-mitigation rules for new housing developments

KUCHING (Dec 3): Sarawak will begin enforcing stricter and more technical flood-mitigation requirements for all new private housing developments to curb increasingly frequent flash floods in urban areas.

State Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Michael Tiang said the measures, implemented under the Department of Irrigation and Drainage’s (DID) Sub-storm Initiative, must be incorporated at the planning stage of every new project.

“Climate change is natural, but rapid urbanisation is something we can address now by following the Premier’s directive under the DID Sub-storm Initiative. This means strict requirements for sub-storm plans,” he told a press conference at the State Legislative Assembly Complex.

“All flood-mitigation systems — dry ponds, drainage structures and other technical measures — must be incorporated into every new private housing development.”

Acknowledging developers’ concerns about rising costs, Tiang stressed the importance of preventive planning.

“From past experience, trying to rectify flood-mitigation weaknesses after an area is built is extremely costly for Sarawak. The only sustainable approach is to build these measures in from the planning phase,” he said.

Earlier, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian outlined ongoing major flood-mitigation projects under state and federal allocations.

Dr Sim, who is State Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government, said RM96.8 million has been allocated under the 12th Malaysia Plan for 23 flood-mitigation and urban drainage projects, with 22 at various design stages and expected to begin construction in 2026.

He also noted that the federal government has approved RM191 million for the Pembangunan Lembangan Sungai Bersepadu (PLSB) Sungai Sarawak project, comprising Package 1 in Samarahan, Package 2 in Kuching, and Package 3 in Matang, with completion expected between May 2026 and March 2027.

Ongoing initiatives include the RTB Sungai Miri project, expected to be completed in the first half of 2026, while RTB Limbang is at the tender stage and RTB Beradek Semilang remains in pre-implementation.