KUCHING: The family of Abdul Malik Abu Bakar can heave a sigh of relief after their house in Kampung Kudei Lama, which collapsed four months ago, was rebuilt by property developer Ibraco Berhad (Ibraco).
The handing over of the keys to their new home was conducted today by Ibraco managing director Datuk Chew Chiaw Han and witnessed by Satok assemblyman Datuk Ibrahim Baki.
Ibrahim thanked Chew and Ibraco for their contribution to the family as the house rebuilding project was implemented as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.
“There are about 10 residents living in the house when it collapsed back in May this year. The damage caused to the house made it unliveable.
“Fortunately, there is a good samaritan in Datuk Chew of Ibraco who has been doing CSR projects by rebuilding houses for many Sarawakians every year and there was a slot for this particular project.
“The work to rebuild the house started in June and within three months, it has been completed, ahead of schedule,” he told reporters when met yesterday.
Ibrahim said the new house, built at a cost of RM95,000 is about 850 square feet with four rooms, a bathroom, toilet, kitchen and living room.
He said while the usual size for affordable homes ranges between 700 to 750 square feet, the larger size for this particular house was to accommodate the number of occupants.
“The project was not without its challenges as the contractors had to work with the narrow access path to the house. I thank them for a job well done.
“I am also thankful as we are able to complete this project and assist the people in need in line with the spirit of Sarawakians helping each other as well as the spirit of Sarawak First under Gabungan Parti Sarawak,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim said a total of 33 projects have been implemented annually to repair homes within Satok constituency.
“So far we have built a few houses, one of them was in Kampung Segedup after the existing house was destroyed by fire,” he said.
The Satok assemblyman said in total, there were about 250 houses repair and rebuilding projects that have been implemented under the Sarawak Poor Home Improvement Project (PPRMS) initiative.
Separately, on the issue of flooding in Kampung Kudei, Ibrahim said the second phase of the flood mitigation project would be rolled out soon under the federal Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA).
“This is the ministry under Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof who is also an MP overseeing the Satok constituency.
“This not only covers Kampung Kudei but Kuching as a whole and at the same time, there are ongoing work by both the Public Works Department and the Department of Drainage and Irrigation to improve the drainage in the area.
“It includes changing the water pipes as well as digging work to install bigger pipes to improve water flow,” he said.