‘We pay our taxes, where is our protection?’ Frustration mounts as repeated floods persist in Gem Park

BINTULU (Jan 12): As torrential rain falls, low-lying streets are quickly submerged and drainage swells rapidly, and fear once again descends upon residents in Gem Park.

To date, the residential area has recorded five major flood incidents on Nov 27, 2020; Oct 31, 2022; Jan 28, 2025; Dec 9, 2025; and the most recent on Jan 10 this year.

The repeated disasters have long cemented Gem Park’s reputation among residents as a high-risk, flood-prone area—which lays bare the reality of its existing drainage reaching its capacity.

For residents there, the expansion, widening, and deepening of drainage is no longer optional but an urgent necessity.

“The rainy season does not wait. Can we afford to keep waiting? Rain comes and water does not wait. Rather than sitting idly by, we must prepare in advance,” said one resident who only wished to be identified as Lim.

He stressed that flood mitigation efforts could no longer remain reactive, but instead be guided by forward-looking planning and accelerated implementation of flood prevention projects and comprehensive upgrades to drainage.

“Otherwise, the severe floods at the beginning of 2025 may prove to be merely a prelude to even greater disaster,” he said.

For residents who have endured repeated floods, the heavy rainfall is not just another rainstorm but a recurring nightmare.

Each time the rainy season rolls around, the residents’ social media and messaging groups automatically turn into real-time flood monitoring hubs as videos, photos and voice messages flood the chats—some measure water levels at their doorsteps, others plan emergency self-rescue, while many voice growing anger and frustration.

Lim said authorities must act immediately and accelerate dredging works, optimise drainage, and strengthen urban flood resilience instead of only responding after public anger boils over.

“We pay our taxes, yet where is our protection?”

Adding to their frustration is the five year delay in relocating illegal wooden houses along both banks of Sungai Sibiyu, which they believe is a core obstacle that cannot be avoided in flood mitigation planning.

“We’ve heard the same promises over and over, how much longer must we wait? We pay our taxes and live in constant fear of floods, while illegal settlers occupying riverbanks become the reason dredging cannot proceed. If that’s the case, why not relocate us to safer areas instead?”

Under Phase 2 of the Bintulu Flood Mitigation Project, the Sarawak Planning Authority has approved upgrades at Gem Park, among other sites, with plans to construct flood embankments and a pumping system.

However, Lim expressed his reservations, noting that pumping systems have failed at critical moments in the past, with the two most recent floods serving as clear evidence.

He believed that without simultaneously addressing river capacity and overall drainage network, the effectiveness of flood mitigation measures will remain limited.

Meanwhile, the ongoing road and drainage upgrading project along Jalan Kasturi has also drawn close scrutiny from Gem Park residents, as it is not only a vital access road to schools but connects it with other residential areas.

They opined that with heavy traffic flow, both engineering design and construction quality must prioritise safety and functionality and its current design remained flawed despite being intended to reduce excessive water flow concentration towards Gem Park.