THE Kayan settlement of Long Bemang on the Apoh Baram, a tributary of the Baram river, is on alert for possible flooding after heavy rain on the upper stretches of Sarawak’s second longest river burst its bank yesterday and began inundating low lying areas.

The Miri Civil Defence Department’s two volunteers in the settlement, Nurshahrin Sapiee and Kontesa, who are monitoring the water level, reported it had reached 0.48m – about knee-deep – at SK Long Bemang, its health clinic and the main village.

The volunteers reported water was still rising at 5pm yesterday evening and the rain had not stopped.

The rising water is of little threat at the moment as most of the buildings, including the health clinic, are built on stilts and their floor is some 3m above the ground.

Flooding is frequent in this part of the Baram river.

The department said people in the settlement have nevertheless been warned to remain alert and move to a safer place when their homes are no longer safe.

As a precaution, the electricity supply in the settlement has been turned off. – July 11, 2023.