Dennis shows his flooded house.

MIRI (Jan 10): Telang Usan assemblyman Dato’ Dennis Ngau has urged Miri City Council (MCC) and the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) to conduct a comprehensive review of the drainage system in Senadin following repeated flooding incidents in the area.

Dennis, who resides in Senadin, said the flooding problem only emerged in recent years, coinciding with rapid development and the construction of new housing estates.

“We have been living here since 2007, several years before I became an elected representative. At that time, there was not much development. Even Curtin University had not yet been established,” he said in a Facebook reel.

He added that the neighbourhood is now surrounded by three large ponds, but the inflow and outflow of water between them remain unclear.

“When these ponds are filled, the water overflows into our lane. Every time there is heavy rain, flooding is almost guaranteed, and the water becomes stagnant instead of flowing away,” he said, suggesting weaknesses in the drainage outlets.

Dennis stressed that the issue was not the volume of rainfall but the efficiency of the drainage system, calling on the authorities to determine where the outlets lead and how excess water is discharged.

He also noted that he has received numerous complaints from Senadin residents over recurring floods.

“I hope that the Miri City Council, particularly the Mayor, and DID Miri will come down to the ground and study the entire system,” he said.

The assemblyman further expressed disappointment over what he described as a lack of response from DID, saying he had submitted video evidence during the first flooding incident last year to the former assistant director of DID Miri.

“The best time to inspect the situation is during the flood itself. That is when the authorities can clearly see where the water comes from and where it goes,” he said.

Emphasising the need for practical solutions, Dennis questioned how Miri could be promoted as a city if basic infrastructure issues such as flooding remain unresolved.

He also suggested that local authorities learn from countries with effective flood mitigation systems, citing Singapore as an example.

“If study visits have already been carried out, then there must be proper implementation.

“Otherwise, what is the purpose of spending so much money on these visits when flooding problems persist?” he said.