A recreational park near Timberland Medical Centre is earmarked for a dry detention pond, giving stormwater somewhere to collect before it reaches nearby homes. The planned pond would cover about 5,000 square metres and be about 10 feet deep. It forms part of the RM100.2 million Sungai Maong Kiri Flood Mitigation Project, now at site mobilisation stage, DayakDaily reported on Oct 22. Unlike a permanent lake, a dry pond is intended to stay dry for much of the time. During heavy rain it temporarily holds excess runoff, then releases the water when conditions allow. That storage function is separate from simply making drains bigger. The wider project includes drain upgrades, river improvements and riverbank protection. A covered reinforced-concrete drain near the medical centre is intended to carry water towards the river. The reported corridor runs from Jalan Stampin Tengah through the Hui Sing and Timberland areas, Iris Garden and The Podium towards Sungai Maong and Stapok. The target completion date is March 14, 2029, following a 30-month construction period. Existing utilities and ageing water pipes complicate work in this built-up area; mobilisation does not mean the flood protection is already operating. Recreational use of the pond area when dry is a later possibility. The authorities plan to engage the community after completion; landscaping and a jogging track were examples discussed, not facilities residents can use now.

Kuching’s RM2.48 billion Phase 2 flood-mitigation plan is heading for value-assessment and value-engineering workshops in early November, ahead of a planned 2027–2033 physical implementation period. The public health, housing and local government minister set out the next preparatory step in an Oct 20 State Legislative Assembly update. The plan includes a 6km Sungai Sarawak bypass, with protection expected to cover 470,233 residents and 47,264 hectares in Greater Kuching once completed. Those are future coverage estimates, not a statement that the bypass is already protecting that area. For residents following flood works, the engineering review is a more immediate milestone than the eventual completion window. The announcement describes preparation for construction; it is not a notice that the full Phase 2 scheme has begun operating. Three other packages under the Sungai Sarawak Integrated River Basin Development project are at various stages of physical implementation. Their combined RM191 million cost and target completion between the second and third quarters of 2027 belong to those packages, not to completion of the entire RM2.48 billion plan. The distinction matters when assessing progress around Kuching: a package finishing next year should not be mistaken for delivery of the full bypass scheme, whose stated implementation window extends to 2033.

Stampin Resettlement Scheme’s flood project now has a contractor, but residents are still waiting for the construction timetable. DID Sarawak handed the Letter of Award to TMK Construction and Transport Sdn Bhd on Sept 2. The first package, valued at RM87,956,231.16, covers roadside drains and culverts along Jalan Stampin Baru and work on outlets leading to Sungai Stampin, Sungai Stutong and Sungai Kuap. This is the first firm step towards site work after years of planning. A DID update in July said the RM350 million scheme was announced in November 2022 and had yet to begin physical construction at that point. The wider plan will be delivered in stages, with reinforced-concrete drains, channels and detention ponds among the proposed works. Project estimates put the reach at 1,053 households, or 9,026 people. The award does not mean flood protection is already in place. DID has not published the start and completion dates or a traffic-management schedule, details that Jalan Stampin Baru residents will need once work begins.

Bintulu flood-mitigation work at three sites is targeted to start in October after an extra RM53 million allocation. The package covers remaining Phase Two components at Gem Park, Desa Damai and SJK Sebiew. The Bintulu DID may call the tender in early September, with physical work expected between mid- and late October. A separate long-term study would examine Bintulu’s wider flood-mitigation system, including the capacity of existing measures and where upgrades are needed. Sarawak is considering an international consultancy working with local experts, but the firm, cost and scope are still under discussion. The October date is a target, not a guarantee that flooding will stop. Residents in the affected areas should continue following local warnings during heavy rain while waiting for the tender notice and confirmed work schedule. Location: Bintulu, Sarawak

The RM150 million remedial project for the Sungai Sarawak barrage had still not received final implementation approval as of Aug 20, despite the federal allocation being announced in March. Sarawak Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin raised the delay after a site briefing on riverbed scouring near the barrage. The federal government announced RM150 million on March 13, the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) was named implementing agency, and DID Sarawak later submitted the latest proposal to DID Malaysia for consideration and approval. Allocation, approval and construction are three different stages. A budget announcement does not mean a contractor has started work. At that point, the proposal was still moving through the approval process, which is why the minister called for it to be accelerated. The barrage has operated since Dec 1, 1997 as part of the Sungai Sarawak Regulation Scheme. Its five radial gates, navigation shiplock and bridge support flood mitigation, river-level management and navigation around Kuching. No closure or immediate public emergency was announced. The issue is planned remedial work for continued safe and reliable operation. The next facts worth watching are final approval, tender or contractor appointment, scope of works and the construction timetable. This update concerns planning, repairs or public data—not an automatic notice that the facility has closed or that a power or water disruption is imminent. The next useful confirmation is the agency's approval, tender, works timetable or published measurement. [image: 1787276043889-barrage.jpeg] Source: DayakDaily