FUNCTIONING WELL: Wong (centre) is seen at the pumping station with Drainage and Irrigation Department Sibu head Ting Sing Kong (left) and Rajang Port Authority chairman Vincent Goh.
SIBU: Nine water pumps at two pumping stations greatly reduced flooding in low-lying areas here during the recent period of heavy rain.
Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh pointed out the success of the pumping stations located in front of Kingwood Hotel and Central Market.
“In fact, there was hardly any flood water in the traditionally flood-prone areas from Kapor Road to Tiong Hua Road and to Ang Chiu Koh. This is a good sign and with the Phase II Sibu Flood Mitigation plan about to start, the people of Sibu should no longer fear floods any more,” he told reporters when visiting the Kingwood pumping station yesterday.
He said the water pumps at the two stations would work automatically depending on the water level at their respective locations.
There are four water pumps at the Kingwood station and five water pumps at the Central Market station. The pumps have a capacity of three cubic metres per second.
When the water breeches 1.6 metres, the first water pump would automatically start.
“When the water level reaches the 1.8 metre level, the second water pump would then automatically start working also and the process goes on like that,” Wong explained.
Most of the waterlogged areas were now clear of water and residents had expressed satisfaction with the flood mitigation project.
Wong added that Sibu folk could expect more once another pumping station along Ek Dee Road, under Phase II of the flood mitigation project, is completed.
Phase I of the flood mitigation project, he said, is almost 90 per cent completed, with full completion expected by February.
He thanked Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas for helping to ensure floods would no longer haunt Sibu folk.
On sand dredging work at Pulau Kerto, Wong said the project has been handed over to the contractor and work is expected to start next week when machinery arrives from Kuching.
The project, with a contract value of RM9.7 million, will take 14 weeks to complete.
On Phase II of the flood mitigation project, Wong said the tender would be out by next month. The second phase runs from Jalan Saga, Upper Lanang to Sibu Central Market.
Wong said more sections along Upper Lanang would be open before Chinese New Year to ensure a comfortable drive in the area.