I am really saddened by the occurrence of flash floods in Kuching today. The problem may continue as the state Meteorological Department expects heavy rain to last until tomorrow in areas around Kuching, Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong, Sarikei, Sibu and Mukah.

It was reported that the heavily affected places today are Desa Wira, Tabuan Dayak, Jalan Dogan and Jalan Pisang Barat, among others.

During my inspection, we could see the extent of the damages caused by the flood as well as the inconvenience caused to the residents and to the public. What really saddens me is that these flash floods have been a common and yearly occurrence, yet the authorities have not taken proper precautions in curbing such problems.

Almost every year, the residents of these areas around Kuching become worried about the occurrence of these floods, especially during the rainy season.

In fact, the situation worsens particularly when there are developments around those residential areas as the drainages have not been cleared or upgraded by the local council. Poor maintenance of the drainage system, inadequate drainage systems, and dirty drains further worsen the situation.

DAP has constantly raised this issue in Parliament on the need to upgrade old drainages and the building of new ones, as well as the implementation of flood mitigation projects.

Based on the answers given by the natural resources and environment deputy minister to my parliamentary question on the research carried out in 2010, a total of RM584 million is needed for the Phase II storm flood mitigation programme and it will only be carried out in 2016-2017, depending on the country’s financial situation.

In addition to that, the issue of global warming has contributed to a 30 percent of increase in rain frequency across Malaysia - with a total of 40 percent increases in both Kuching and Samarahan.

So, for the government to not prioritise the need of these projects - delaying it and also putting a condition on these developments based on the country’s financial situation - shows that the people’s interests are not taken care of, especially those who are heavily affected by these floods.

The maintenance of these drainage systems is under the purview of the local council, and they have also been lacking in their responsibilities to maintain and upgrade the systems when necessary. The occurrence of these floods is directly linked to their inability to take precautionary steps to mitigate these issues before they happen.

That is why we at DAP are strongly pushing for local council elections, so that the people will get to decide on the mayor and local authorities who will better serve them in each constituency. The people should have the right to vote for an efficient local council that prioritises the interests of its residents.

We want to see incidents like this never occurring again, so that our people can actually celebrate the new year without any worries of loss and damage.

JULIAN TAN KOK PING is the MP for Stampin.