Photo shows the entrance to SK Nanga Balingiau, where the floodwater level is at least four feet.
SIBU: SK Nanga Balingiau in Kanowit was hit by flood yesterday, with water level still rising as at 5pm.
Sibu Resident Charles Siaw said based on the flood status report, the water level at kitchen and field areas was about four to five feet (1.2m to 1.5m) deep.
“According to Kanowit District Education Office, all areas around SK Nanga Balingiau are inundated and it is still raining heavily.
“It is noted that the school is situated near the river and each time it rains, the water level rises – this is the pattern.
“It is also important to note that there are no school-children here as it is the weekends,” Siaw told thesundaypost when contacted.
It is learnt that SK Nanga Balingiau has 106 pupils.
Meanwhile, Sarawak is expected to receive downpours in the next five months following the arrival of the northeast monsoon.
Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas had said that based on the weather forecast by the Meteorological Department, there would be heavier rainfall from November until March next year.
Uggah, who is also Sarawak State Natural Disaster Management Committee chairman, said the Sarawak government had strengthened the rescue team with 15,152 people to prepare for any possibility of floods.
He also said the rescue workers comprised personnel from the Armed Forces, Civil Defence Force, Fire and Rescue Department, Royal Malaysia Police, People’s Volunteer Corps, Welfare Department, and Health Department of Sarawak.
“We have also got ready five helicopters, five drones, 172 lorries, 549 four-wheel drive vehicles, 283 boats and 109 ambulance units.
“These assets are at the committee’s disposal should the rainy spell worsen, which could trigger floods,” Uggah told a press conference at Wisma Bapa Malaysia in Kuching recently.