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MBKS is preparing a 200-metre reinforced-concrete box drain to improve flood protection along Jalan Padungan and Jalan Chan Chin Ann. The proposed drain would measure 1.2 metres wide and 1.2 metres deep. Survey work, possible utility relocation, road and footpath reinstatement, plus traffic and safety arrangements are part of the plan. The two roads and nearby Jalan Abell area have recurring flash floods during intense rain. MBKS said the existing network cannot handle high stormwater volumes easily, but work in this built-up city-centre area must be designed around businesses, roads and underground services. The project is not at construction stage yet. A consultant must first complete the plans and technical documents before MBKS starts the tender process. Drivers and businesses should expect temporary traffic arrangements only when work eventually begins.

A total of 647 schools in Sarawak will close for five days from Sept 7 to 11 as haze conditions worsen, with lessons moving online. The temporary closure covers 563 primary schools with 108,477 pupils and 84 secondary schools with 90,082 students. The affected education districts include Kuching, Padawan, Bau, Lundu, Samarahan, Simunjan, Serian, Sri Aman, Lubok Antu, Kanowit, Julau and Meradong. Home-based teaching and learning will continue during the closure. Schools have been told to follow education and health procedures, monitor local API readings through APIMS and observe guidance on outdoor activities. For families in Kuching and nearby districts, Monday’s arrangement is now clear for the listed schools: children should remain at home and follow instructions from their schools for online lessons. Any later change will come through the Sarawak Education Department.

A state of emergency has been declared in Serian district after its Air Pollutant Index crossed 500, the threshold classified as very hazardous. Serian’s API first passed 500 on Friday morning and reached 515 at 5pm, according to the latest reported reading. Kuching was at 306, while Samarahan and Sri Aman recorded 292 and 241 respectively. The declaration covers Serian district, about 60km southeast of Kuching. The Prime Minister’s Department said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong consented to the declaration after considering advice from the Prime Minister, Sarawak Premier and relevant agencies. Further measures will be taken to protect residents. The emergency status comes as smoke from fires in Indonesia continues to affect the region. School arrangements and other operating measures are being announced separately, so residents should follow the latest official notices rather than rely on an earlier API reading.

A fake government tender email sent to a Kuching construction office led to four transfers totalling RM161,400 before the recipient discovered that official names and a council stamp had been misused. Police said the 62-year-old contractor received the Aug 11 email at his Bintawa Industrial Estate office. It purported to seek Anker Solix F3800 portable power stations for the National Solid Waste Management Department’s Sri Aman branch, then directed him to a supposed supplier. He transferred money to two bank accounts between Aug 11 and 19. The victim checked directly with the department only after the payments. Police are investigating under Section 420 of the Penal Code; the reports did not say that anyone had been charged. For an online tender, obtain the purchasing agency’s contact details independently and verify the bank account before paying. Suspect phone numbers and accounts can be checked through PDRM’s Semak Mule service. Anyone who has just transferred money in an online scam should contact their bank and the National Scam Response Centre at 997 immediately.

A farmers’ market, smart poles and an inclusive playground have put three Kuching South City Council projects on the Top 29 finalist list for the 2026 JCI Malaysia Sustainable Development Awards. The Kuching Natural Farmers Market was shortlisted under SDG 8 for supporting local farmers and small producers. The MBKS Smart Pole Initiative sits under SDG 11 for park safety, environmental monitoring and management, while Ausome Park is under SDG 10 for play spaces that children of different abilities can use together. All three are existing community programmes. The announcement is a finalist placing, not a final award or a new rollout; the winners have yet to be announced.

Three traffic points near Simpang Tiga and Jalan Tun Jugah are scheduled to close from 8am to 5pm each day through Sunday, Sept 6. The daytime closures cover the slip road from Jalan Laksamana Cheng Ho to Jalan Tun Jugah, part of the Simpang Tiga roundabout beside the EPF building, and the Jalan Jelutong junction into Jalan Tun Jugah. These are temporary arrangements for utilities relocation, not a permanent change to the road layout. Motorists moving between the city centre, Simpang Tiga and Jalan Tun Jugah should expect diversions at the work zones, follow signs on site and allow extra time. For a same-day check if site conditions change, Sarawak Metro lists its KUTS hotline as 1300 88 5887.

Serian’s API rose above 500 at 8am on Friday and reached 518 by 10am. Kuching was also in the hazardous range at 310 at 10am. At the IPD Serian monitoring station, the sequence was 495 at 7am, 502 at 8am, 510 at 9am and 518 at 10am. Elsewhere, Lundu (323), Tebedu (345) and Lubok Antu (398) were hazardous, while Samarahan (281) and Sri Aman (245) were very unhealthy. An API above 300 is classified as hazardous. Sarawak authorities had identified 500 as the threshold that could trigger an emergency declaration for the affected locality, but the reports carrying the 10am readings did not announce one. The 10am figures are a snapshot, not an all-day forecast. The Department of Environment updates MyEQMS hourly; check the latest station reading before heading outdoors and cut back on prolonged outdoor activity while the index remains hazardous.

The proposed Sarawak–Singapore power link is still a negotiation: the cable route has not been settled and no construction date has been announced. Sarawak already exports electricity to West Kalimantan. Work to expand supply to Sabah and talks with Brunei sit within the Borneo grid, while a link towards the southern Philippines remains a possible later extension rather than an approved project. At a Kuching energy conference on Sept 3, Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg said the Singapore talks were waiting on a decision about the cable corridor. Bilateral deals are moving first because ASEAN has yet to agree on a single framework for cross-border interconnections. Until there is a route decision and an agreed cross-border framework, the proposal is not ready to build. No commercial supply date was announced, and nothing in the update changes the current electricity supply to Kuching homes.

The Kuching High Court has ended a nearly three-year drug case without calling the five accused to enter their defence. At the close of the prosecution’s case on Sept 3, the judge ruled that evidence from 15 witnesses had not established a prima facie case. All five were discharged and acquitted. The charge alleged that the group, acting with common intention, trafficked 42.2kg of methamphetamine at a hotel near Jalan Nanas at about 12.30pm on Oct 12, 2023. It was brought under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, read with Section 34 of the Penal Code. Because the court stopped the case at the prosecution stage, the five were never required to answer the allegation. The Sept 3 ruling is an acquittal, not a release after serving a sentence; no further step by the prosecution was stated.

An RMAF C-130 took off from the Kuching air base on Sept 3 for Sarawak’s third cloud-seeding operation this year, turning an uncertain schedule into an actual mission. The three-day window runs through Sept 5. Crews are prioritising the Batang Ai, Murum and Bakun hydropower dams, then 13 water catchments across Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong, Kapit and Limbang. Seeding can only happen when suitable moisture-rich clouds form between about 5,000 and 7,000 feet. That condition remains the limit. Earlier forecasts had found clouds unsuitable and winds pushing them out to sea; even after take-off, not every target is guaranteed to be seeded or receive rain. Officials said reservoir levels were lower than usual but still under control. The mission is meant to replenish dams and catchments, with cleaner air as a possible benefit rather than a promised result. Its effect will have to be measured through subsequent rainfall, reservoir levels and API readings — the flight itself does not guarantee immediate rain for Kuching.

The engineering question raised in Kuching reaches beyond one gadget: how can exams stay credible when AI can generate or display answers? For Sarawak's universities, schools and engineering students, that is the practical issue behind Thursday's fireside chat. Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg said future engineers may need to develop technology capable of spotting AI-generated answers. He was referring to a report he had read about AI-enabled glasses that could provide answers, not to a proven incident in a Sarawak exam. The exchange took place during the 34th FEIAP General Assembly and World Engineering Congress at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching. Hosted by the Institution of Engineers, Malaysia, the regional gathering runs from Sept 2 to 4. The session announced no new Sarawak examination rule, detector purchase, trial, budget or implementation date; any classroom or examination change would require a separate decision from the relevant education authorities.

Kuching's API was 285 at 2pm Thursday, putting the city in the Very Unhealthy band as haze continued to affect Sarawak. Residents planning a long stretch outdoors should check the newest reading rather than rely on the 2pm figure. Children, older people, pregnant women and people with heart or respiratory conditions face higher risk. Anyone who develops breathing difficulty should seek medical care. Lubok Antu posted the 2pm watch's most severe reading at 469, rated Very Hazardous. IPD Serian was at 370 and Lundu at 305, both Hazardous; Samarahan recorded 271 and Sri Aman 282, joining Kuching in the Very Unhealthy range. Miri's 100 was Moderate. The API is a 24-hour running average based on the dominant pollutant, not a single moment outdoors: 201 to 300 is Very Unhealthy, 301 to 400 Hazardous and 401 to 500 Very Hazardous.

Fire crews faced water, access and communications problems at three separate forest and peatland fires in Daro and Simunjan, according to the latest updates issued between Aug 31 and Sept 2. On Pulau Bruit, the Kampung Kut fire covered about 7.5 hectares. By the latest report, crews had extinguished 2.5 hectares and still had roughly five hectares to tackle. A second fire at Kampung Penuai, reported on Sept 1, affected about three hectares and was being contained away from nearby roads and homes. In Simunjan, a peat fire at Kampung Lubok Punggor affected about 3.5 hectares. Two hectares had been put out by the evening of Sept 2. Work stopped at 6.30pm for safety and was due to resume on the remaining 1.5 hectares the next day. Strong winds and thick smoke made hotspots harder to reach, while some sites had poor road and radio access. No cause had been confirmed, and no later outcome for the two Daro fires was available in the reports checked.

Thirty per cent of work in major Sarawak government projects will be allocated to Bumiputera firms under a policy announced by Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg. Speaking at the Malaysian Malay Contractors Association’s Sarawak meeting in Kuching on Sept 2, Abang Johari said the arrangement follows a model used by Sarawak Energy. Bumiputera contractors may also partner with non-Bumiputera companies when larger jobs require more technical capacity. At the same event, PKMM Sarawak said 60 of 61 projects in a RM200 million allocation had been awarded through a ballot managed by DAL HCM Sdn Bhd. Those contracts range from RM100,000 to several million ringgit. The RM200 million is the package cited by the association, not the announced value of all future work covered by the wider policy. The state has also provided heavy machinery to PKMM, while the Construction Industry Development Board is training local crane operators. No new application window or full tender list was announced, so firms will still need to follow the procurement notices for individual projects.

A former Kuching bank relationship manager has been sentenced to seven years in prison and fined RM40 million after admitting 24 cheating and money-laundering charges. The Sessions Court heard that eight customers aged 60 to 75 lost more than RM1.58 million in a bond investment scheme that did not exist. He had offered higher returns while handling investments and remittances for the bank’s customers. Instead of placing the money in investments, he used customers’ signatures and biometric approvals to move funds into third-party accounts through DuitNow, interbank transfers and cashier’s orders without their knowledge or consent. He pleaded guilty to 16 cheating charges under Section 420 of the Penal Code and eight charges under Section 4(1)(b) of the anti-money-laundering law. The court ordered the prison terms to run concurrently; reports said he did not pay the RM40 million fine. A bank title is not proof that an investment is authorised. Customers should verify the product and recipient account through the bank’s official contact channels before approving any transfer or biometric confirmation.

Sarawak voters have until Sept 30 to inspect a proposed electoral map that adds 17 state seats, including seven in and around greater Kuching. The Election Commission put the recommendations on public display on Sept 1. If the review is approved, the Sarawak Legislative Assembly would expand from 82 to 99 seats. Ten existing state constituencies would be renamed, while the Igan parliamentary seat would become Batang Lassa. For the Kuching area, the proposed additions are Matang and Semarak under Petra Jaya, Pasir Pandak under Santubong, Tabuan Jaya under Bandar Kuching, Maong under Stampin, Samarindah under Kota Samarahan and Sungai Serin under Puncak Borneo. The plans may be inspected at the locations named in the EC notice and through the commission’s official website. A formal representation must come from the Sarawak government, an affected local authority, or a group of at least 100 registered electors from an affected constituency. Valid objections will proceed to a local inquiry. No voter’s constituency has changed yet. The names and boundaries remain proposals, and the new seats may miss the next state election if the review is not completed in time.

Clean-water aid has reached two dry-spell-hit communities: 84 families in Biawak, Lundu and another 10 in Lingga, Sri Aman. The 2026 Dry Season Clean Water Delivery Report dated Aug 31 records 670 cartons of 1.5-litre bottled water for 335 residents of Kampung Pasir Hilir. Rumah Perindu at Sungai Pisang received 80 cartons for 40 residents. Together, the deliveries covered 375 people in 94 families. Lower river levels are also reducing the raw water available at some treatment intakes. The Sarawak Social Welfare Department is coordinating bottled-water aid with the Rural Water Supply Department, which handles tanker deliveries. Communities relying on rainwater, gravity-fed systems or SAWAS supplies are especially exposed during a long dry spell. Households with disrupted supply have been asked to report through their divisional or district Disaster Management Committee. The number of residents, daily drinking-water needs and expected duration of the shortage are used to determine assistance.

Eight people are under a four-day remand after Kuching CID raided a Jalan Song apartment suspected of housing an online love-scam call centre. The raid was carried out at around 11pm on Sept 1. Police detained two local men, one local woman and five foreign men, all aged 21 to 26, and seized laptops, phones and other devices believed to have been used in the operation. Police said their preliminary checks pointed to an alleged call centre targeting people outside Malaysia, with the eight believed to have worked there full-time. Those claims remain part of an investigation under Sections 420 and 120B of the Penal Code. The Kuching Magistrates’ Court granted the four-day remand on Sept 2. None of the eight has been reported charged or convicted. Police have asked anyone with relevant information to contact a nearby station or the Kuching District Control Centre at 082-244444.

Sarawak’s Sept 3–5 cloud-seeding window does not guarantee rain: the latest federal update found the available clouds unsuitable and moving out to sea. The update on Sept 2 said prevailing winds were pushing cloud groups towards the South China Sea. Seeding them would risk producing rain away from the areas facing haze and low water reserves, so any flight remains subject to MetMalaysia’s assessment. NADMA’s plan covers eight Sarawak dam areas — Batang Ai, Bakun, Murum, Bengoh, Gerugu, Assyakirin, Sika and Matang — with MetMalaysia and the Royal Malaysian Air Force involved in the operation. At 4pm on Sept 2, Serian and Kuching recorded hazardous API readings of 325 and 309 respectively, giving the proposed operation an immediate public-health context. There was no confirmation in the latest reports that a seeding flight had taken off or been completed. The operation may proceed within the planned window only if later cloud and wind conditions are suitable.

Stampin Resettlement Scheme’s flood project now has a contractor, but residents are still waiting for the construction timetable. DID Sarawak handed the Letter of Award to TMK Construction and Transport Sdn Bhd on Sept 2. The first package, valued at RM87,956,231.16, covers roadside drains and culverts along Jalan Stampin Baru and work on outlets leading to Sungai Stampin, Sungai Stutong and Sungai Kuap. This is the first firm step towards site work after years of planning. A DID update in July said the RM350 million scheme was announced in November 2022 and had yet to begin physical construction at that point. The wider plan will be delivered in stages, with reinforced-concrete drains, channels and detention ponds among the proposed works. Project estimates put the reach at 1,053 households, or 9,026 people. The award does not mean flood protection is already in place. DID has not published the start and completion dates or a traffic-management schedule, details that Jalan Stampin Baru residents will need once work begins.