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Repair and rehabilitation works are planned for damaged sections of two roads serving Bintulu Port and the Tanjung Kidurong industrial area. The roads identified by JKR Sarawak are the Jalan Bintulu/Tatau Junction (Mile 5)–Bintulu Port route and Jalan Tanjung Kidurong. Inspections found surface deterioration on several sections, with continuous heavy-vehicle movement cited as one contributing factor. The repair plan will take site conditions, safety requirements and traffic management into account. JKR also says the locations will be monitored during the works and motorists should follow signs and traffic-control instructions. No full closure timetable was announced in the update. For road users, the practical change is to stay alert for work zones around two routes that carry both public traffic and industrial logistics.

Six overtaking lanes have been proposed along the Bintulu-Bakun Road to make a heavily used freight corridor safer. The RM216 million proposal covers about 12km at six locations around KM16, KM39, KM49, KM75, KM106 and KM109 on Federal Route FT803. The Works Ministry says the package would also include related structure upgrades and street lighting. The route carries heavy vehicles serving plantations, logging and other economic activity, while also linking Bintulu and Sebauh with Sungai Asap, Belaga, Bakun and Murum. With no practical alternative route for those lorries, the proposed work is framed as an upgrade to accommodate existing traffic rather than a ban. The proposal has been submitted for consideration under Rolling Plan 2 of the 13th Malaysia Plan. Until a decision and work schedule are announced, motorists should continue to expect the current winding sections, limited visibility and heavy-vehicle movements.

The Kuala Baram dredging project in Miri has reached about 90% completion, ahead of its contract schedule. The Miri Port Authority reported the progress after a site inspection on Sept 21. The work is part of a wider effort to improve port capacity, operating efficiency and sustainability, strengthening the role of Sarawak’s ports in the northern state economy. The update confirms physical progress, but it does not announce a final completion date or a new opening arrangement. Port users should not read the 90% figure as an immediate change to every operation; the remaining works and follow-up arrangements still matter. For Miri, Kuala Baram is a practical piece of the region’s maritime and logistics network. The next clear checkpoint is completion of the project and how the upgraded channel supports day-to-day port activity.

Miri’s retention ponds need a regular cleaning programme after aquatic growth, rubbish and sediment were flagged as risks to water flow and flood mitigation. The Department of Irrigation and Drainage was asked to schedule more frequent maintenance after recent cleaning at a pond along Jalan Ilmu near Desa Senadin. Water hyacinths and other plants covering the pond have been cleared, but they can grow back quickly. Floating rubbish entering through nearby drains was also raised as a concern. A RM3 million allocation has been approved for drainage maintenance and upgrading in Senadin, including Desa Senadin, Tudan and Permyjaya. The suggestion that some ponds may need cleaning as often as every two months is not a confirmed timetable. The current update is a maintenance call, not a new flood warning. The next useful checkpoint for residents will be whether a recurring cleaning schedule is published before the next period of heavy rain.

The Medan Jaya–Jalan Tun Hussein Onn flyover in Bintulu is now targeted for completion in July 2027, with physical progress at 89.05%. The latest project update said the work had received three extensions because of construction-site issues, including utility relocation. A major access problem involving the Bintulu district police headquarters has since been resolved, while the contractor has committed to the July target. The 2.6-kilometre package covers upgrades to the surrounding roads, a four-lane two-way flyover and improvements at the Medan Jaya and Taman Tinggi junctions. The finished project is expected to improve peak-hour traffic flow, comfort and safety. July 2027 is a completion target, not an immediate opening promise. Drivers will still need to follow traffic management arrangements and wait for the remaining works and final handover to be completed.

A resurfacing job along Lorong Sungai Tapang 4 in Padawan has been flagged for follow-up after one property entrance was left unfinished. A local constituency statement said the road level outside the property had been raised by at least half a foot, while the section leading to the driveway was left with raw, untarred stones. The unfinished entrance has made it harder for the homeowner to get in and out. The Padawan Municipal Council and the contractor were urged to inspect the spot and complete the resurfacing up to the driveway. The report does not say when the rectification will be done or whether the council has responded. The complaint concerns one section of a wider road job, but it points to a practical test for neighbourhood upgrades: the work should leave affected entrances usable, not just the road surface.

The RM43 million Serikin Integrated Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security complex in Bau is 11% complete, six days ahead of schedule. Earthworks and site preparation are under way at the border facility, which is targeted for completion by the end of 2027. The complex is intended to strengthen border security and support more orderly movement between Sarawak and Indonesia. The project is being treated as an urgent national-security development rather than routine public works. Roads, electricity, water and telecommunications remain practical dependencies: a finished building could still face delays if its supporting utilities are not ready. A separate Telok Melano border control post inspected during the same working visit is still waiting for a Letter of Acceptance after final tender evaluation. Its estimated two-year construction period has not started. For southwest Sarawak, the distinction is clear: Serikin is in active construction, while Telok Melano remains before the formal award stage.

Old Kuching may get heritage zones covering parts of Gambier Road, Main Bazaar and India Street under a proposed Sarawak law. The plan would protect historic buildings, monuments and other heritage sites as the city continues to develop. Landmarks being considered include the Old Court House, Round Tower, Square Tower, India Mosque, St Joseph’s Cathedral and St Thomas’ Cathedral. Privately owned old shophouses are also expected to be reviewed. The state says property owners will be engaged before the legislation is introduced. If buildings are formally gazetted, future rules could include maintenance and beautification requirements. The first stage is to identify buildings and sites, while conservation approaches in Penang and Melaka are being studied. Seeking UNESCO World Heritage recognition is a longer-term ambition. For now, this is a planning announcement, not a new protected-zone map or a confirmed timetable. Shop owners and residents should wait for the proposed list, consultation details and legislation before assuming that a property has been gazetted or that redevelopment rules have changed.

Four infrastructure projects are being pursued in Puncak Borneo, with a Phase 2 water-supply scheme intended to reach 18 villages. The package includes the Puncak Borneo Phase 2 water project, the RM45 million expansion of the Bengoh Resettlement Scheme, the Biya–Jabir Road project and the RM85 million SMK Puncak Borneo. Their statuses are not the same: the water scheme has faced pipeline-route objections and redesign work; the road project has recently gone out to tender; and the school has approval, funding and an identified site but is still awaiting implementation. A separate RM12.6 million acute water system in Kampung Bengoh is planned for expansion to Kampung Petag, Kampung Sitang and Kampung Bangau. The Phase 2 scheme is also planned to use Kampung Sapit as a distribution centre for Kampung Assum, Kampung Parang and surrounding areas. For Padawan residents, the immediate question is not just the size of the package but when each project moves from approval or tender into visible work.

Kota Samarahan police impounded 36 motorcycles and arrested one motorcyclist during an overnight Op Samseng Jalanan operation. The operation ran from 10pm on Sept 20 to 6am on Sept 21 at Taman Rembus and along Jalan Kota Samarahan–Kampung Baru. Twenty-five personnel took part, targeting traffic offences and road hooliganism. Police said the arrest was made under Section 42 of the Road Transport Act 1987, which covers reckless and dangerous driving. The impounded motorcycles were placed under Section 60 for further inspection. The update records enforcement action and investigation steps; it does not by itself establish a conviction. Motorists using the Samarahan corridor should expect checks to include the motorcycle and its documents, not just riding speed. No wider road closure was announced in the report.

A RM119 million upgrade for 17.1km of Sarawak’s Pan Borneo “redline” sections has entered a 16-month work window, with completion targeted for early 2028. The short-stretch package covers nine locations, including Lachau, Selangau, Balingian, Kemena, Sebiew and Tudan. It will upgrade pavement structures and road-safety features. The contractor received the site on Sept 17, and Sarawak JKR and the Works Ministry will monitor the work. The redline is not one continuous 17.1km route. It refers to 136.74km of sections left out of the original Pan Borneo project. The current package is the 17.1km short stretch; a separate 119.64km long stretch is still being refined for implementation. For Sarawak road users, the useful next check is how work is staged at the nine locations and whether the contractor can beat the 16-month schedule. The update did not include a detailed traffic-management timetable.

All primary and secondary schools under the Lubok Antu and Kanowit District Education Offices have been ordered to close temporarily as haze pushed API readings above 200. The Sarawak Education Department said the closure took effect immediately on Sept 21. Home-based teaching and learning will continue under Ministry of Education disaster-management guidance. Schools near districts with API readings above 200 may also consider PdPR, with pupils’ health and safety as the deciding factor. At 9am, Lubok Antu and Kanowit recorded API readings of 205 and 209. By 10am, the two readings had risen to 207 and 212, both in the very unhealthy range. The department said schools may prepare for reopening if the API trend falls below 200; no fixed reopening date was announced. Parents and students should follow the latest school or education-department notice before preparing to return.

Sarawak’s tourism sector regained momentum in August, with 439,968 visitor arrivals—up 6.53 per cent from the same month last year—and RM1.137 billion in receipts. International arrivals rose 12.6 per cent to 275,800. But the first eight months still totalled 3,160,448 arrivals, 1.41 per cent below the same period last year, so the August rebound has not erased the earlier shortfall. Sarawak’s tourism authorities expect the final quarter to be stronger, while acknowledging that haze could cause leisure travellers to postpone trips. The more-than-four-million year-end expectation is therefore still a forecast, not a confirmed outcome. For Kuching businesses and travellers, the useful signal is a busier August alongside a season that remains sensitive to air quality and programme schedules.

Sarawak accounted for 11 of Malaysia’s 21 “unhealthy” air-quality stations at 8.30am on Monday, with Kuching recording an API reading of 158. Serian was the highest in the state at 168, followed by Kapit at 166 and Sri Aman at 160. Miri and Bintulu also recorded 158, while Samarahan was 157, Sibu 156 and Samalaju 155. The readings show the haze remains a broad state-level problem rather than being confined to one town. The Department of Environment said it is continuing round-the-clock monitoring. Wind direction and hotspot activity can change the numbers during the day, so residents should check the latest API before deciding on prolonged outdoor activity, especially if they are in a vulnerable group.

A Sunday night fire damaged about 35 per cent of a convenience store on Green Road, Kuching, but no one was injured. Batu Lintang and Padungan firefighters were sent after the call came in at 8.19pm. The blaze started at the front of the shop and spread towards the centre before crews brought it under control. Ventilation at the centre and rear helped limit the spread, Bomba said. The operation ended at 9.03pm. The cause of the fire and the value of the losses are still being investigated, so the damage figure should not be read as a final loss assessment.

Kuching South is preparing to extend designated senior parking beyond markets to shopping malls and other public areas. The move is part of MBKS’s effort to make everyday public spaces easier to use as the city’s population ages. Existing senior bays are already available at markets, but the council has not announced the first mall locations or a start date for the wider rollout. MBKS is also seeking approval for more full-size OKU parking bays. That proposal must go through the full council before it is submitted to the minister, so those spaces are not yet a confirmed rollout. For residents, the practical detail to watch is where the new senior bays will be marked and how access will be enforced once the scheme moves beyond markets.

Sarawak’s State Attorney-General’s Chambers has launched a drafting manual intended to make proposed State laws more complete and consistent before they reach the legal office. The manual gives public-service officers a common process for preparing legislation and amendments, including structural standards, procedural steps and the background documents that must accompany a submission. The move follows concerns that some earlier proposals arrived with little more than a one-page outline. For departments, the change is less about announcing a new law than tightening the route by which one is prepared. The chambers also pointed to digital technology, environmental regulation and the green economy as areas where legal officers will need stronger specialist knowledge as Sarawak’s policy work expands.

Twenty agricultural road projects across 20 villages in the Balai Ringin area have been grouped under a RM6 million connectivity allocation. The projects cover Zones B Jalan Simunjan and C Balai Ringin, with RM300,000 set aside for each village. The latest progress update says 16 projects are complete, two are nearing completion, one has started and one has yet to begin. The road work is intended to make it easier for farming communities to move produce and reach their plots. At Kampung Tapang Lebat, an upgraded 1.925km village road serving about 30 families was completed on June 9 at a cost of RM2.5 million. A separate community-hall store there is scheduled for next year, so the wider package should not be read as every listed project being finished.

Registered senior citizens under the Kuching South City Council programme can collect their RM30 grocery vouchers on Sept 23. Collection is scheduled from 7.30am to 10.30am at the market assigned during registration. The five registration venues were Petanak, Stutong Community, Bintawa, Sungai Apong and Kenyalang markets; recipients should return to the designated venue rather than assume another market can process the collection. The vouchers are meant for daily necessities including vegetables, fish, meat and poultry. The programme is limited to residents within the MBKS jurisdiction, and registration has already drawn a strong response. Anyone who completed registration but is unsure of the assigned market should confirm with MBKS before collection day.

Nearly half a million 1.5-litre bottles have been sent to drought-hit communities across Sarawak, with deliveries still continuing at 68 locations as of Sept 17. A state update said 492,671 bottles of 1.5-litre water were distributed between August and Sept 14. Reports to the State Disaster Management Committee as of 6pm on Sept 17 showed deliveries still under way at 68 locations, covering 1,494 families and 6,624 people across seven areas — Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong, Sibu, Kapit, Mukah and Bintulu — including villages, longhouses and a clinic. The state government has channelled RM6.636 million for the operation. Social welfare teams are working with civil defence, fire and rescue personnel, police and community volunteers to move supplies to affected residents. The figures describe aid delivered up to the stated dates; they are not a forecast of when the dry spell will end.