Sarawak,Malaysia;Wednesday.
The waters of Sarawak river which divided Kuching City into two is regulated. Not many people knew this fact. Many residents of this city took the river for granted. Sadly though, a few of them still used it to dump rubbish, of course under the cover of darkness.
A few kilometers from it’s mouth the Sarawak River is cut into two by a barrage. This is one technological marvel that was loathed from the day it was constructed. However for the past few years it was the saviour of Kuching city. Sadly, not many appreciate it, what more to thank the barrage’s operators
For several times this year, this barrage shielded the city from floods. This barrage has effectively controlled the water on the upper reaches of Sarawak river from extreme salinity.
The changes of the tides, from low to high and vice-versa is hardly noticed these days. It is during king tide when the pull of the moon on the earth’s oceans are strongest, that this barrage played its part in holding back the tide.
It rained hard these few weeks but the citizens of Kuching slept well throughout those hours. Rainwater from the upper reaches of Sarawak River is collected and held back. The barrage doors are only opened when the tide started to ebb, thus relieving Kuching city of excess water.
Dr George Chan, the Deputy Chief Minister of the State of Sarawak, told the press that it would have been disasterous if the king tide and rain water converge. This convergence will cause the water level to rise and many parts of Kuching city will be flooded. Thanks to the barrage, this does not happen.
To help the barrage operators, several monitoring-warning stations are placed along Sarawak river that acted as an early warning system. This is very important as it helps the barrage operatos when to open the doors of the barrage and when to close it.