33 schools in Sarawak closed, 22 closely monitored

Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang said this involved the districts of Serian (9 schools), Limbang (7), Padawan (6), Bau (5), Baram (2) and one each in Samarahan, Lawas, Mukah and Miri.

He said 22 of the schools were closed when classes were inundated while 11 others were closed when the main road to the schools were either flooded or damaged by the floods.

Alfred Jabu who is also Chairman of Sarawak Disaster Management Committee said as a safety measure, 22 more schools affected by the floods were being monitored closely.

"Five of the 55 schools are secondary schools," Alfred Jabu told reporters after chairing a committee meeting here, today.

Alfred Jabu said the period of closure could not be ascertained for now, and assured that the schools would only be opened when the situation was safe for students and teachers.

Meanwhile, the Sarawak Rivers Board has issued a directive to warn the public against using boats in Sarawak River in view of the strong currents.

He said currently the express boat service between Sibu town and the city had been halted, but the express boat service between other towns in Sarawak could operate as usual.

He said that at present the Kuching division recorded the highest number of evacuees and the committee was closely monitoring the Kuching Waterfront area, the main indicator of impending floods which would cause flooding in Kuching city centre.

However, Alfred Jabu said the barrage controlling the water level of the river had been effective in preventing the occurrence of floods following overflow of water in the city.