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Drains at Jalan Tiong Hua to be widened, says Bukit Assek rep

Posted on 22 Dec 2021
Source of News: The Borneo Post (Conny Banji)

Chieng (second right) studies the map during his visit to the project site.Chieng (second right) studies the map during his visit to the project site.

SIBU (Dec 22): The drains at Jalan Tiong Hua here will be widened to mitigate flash floods in the area.

Bukit Assek assemblyman Joseph Chieng said the project, which had been planned by Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) for quite some time, would be tendered out next month.

The project implementation would kick off in February and should reach completion in six months’ time, he said without disclosing the project cost.

“It involves the widening of existing drains at Lorong Tiong Hua 4 up to the main DID (Drainage and Irrigation Department) drain at the town-centre area.

“The existing drains will be widened from the original size of 1.2m to 2.4m, so a bigger volume of floodwater could be flushed out faster to the main DID drains.

“Once completed, we can connect the smaller drains in Jalan Tiong Hua,” he told reporters during site inspection of the project here yesterday.

According to Chieng, SMC chairman Clarence Ting wanted the measure to be a pilot project to mitigate the flash flood problem affecting Jalan Tiong Hua.

“If successful, we would implement similar projects in other flood-prone areas in Bukit Assek constituency.

“It might not be able to mitigate the problem in one go, but it can at least reduce the amount of damage due to flash floods,” he said.

Chieng regarded the Bukit Assek Redevelopment Plan as ‘the best plan’ that could put an end to the flash flood problem in the area.

“But it takes time to implement and we need short-term planning as a solution,” he said.