RM20m project to address coastal erosion in Miri Village

MIRI: The federal government has approved a RM25 million project to control coastal erosion in Kampung Batu 1, Kuala Baram which is expected to be completed in 2021.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar (pix) said the tender for the project would open in March 2018, with the implementation targeted to commence in June, the same year.
"The project is expected to be ready within three years and the design concept will be the first of its kind in Sarawak," he told reporters after a working visit to the Kampung Batu 1 Fishermen's Market, here, today.
Wan Junaidi said the design concept was similar to the one in Terengganu and when ready, it would not only control coastal erosion but would also be a tourism icon for Sarawak.
"Such a project has been implemented in the peninsula and found to be effective in controlling erosion with the revetment withstanding the big, high waves hitting it," he added.
For the record, Kampung Batu 1, Kuala Baram was the worst flood-hit area on Dec 20 due to high tide and continuous rain overnight.
To prevent the fishermen's boats from drifting away far out to sea, the fishermen had to shift their boats to the roadside, the scene of which went viral on social media.
On a related development, Wan Junaidi said the Drainage and Irrigation Department had been instructed to do a detailed study on the causes and how to tackle the flood problem in the Miri city area and outside of it.
He said the federal government was prepared to implement short-term and long-term projects such as deepening the rivers outside the city to reduce the risk of flooding.
"The heavy rain on Nov 13 until Dec 26 in Miri rendered the existing drainage system incapable of containing the rain water while there was the high-tide phenomenon at the same time," he said. — Bernama