All posts by Liani MK

In-Depth

Fighting Floods with Better Drainage in Kuching

Leave a comment

Outdated drainage in Kuching is intensifying flash floods and leaving communities vulnerable. Infrastructure must improve, plans streamlined and solutions account for state-specific conditions.

WHEN A deluge of rain hit Kuching, Sarawak in late August, it brought back the nightmare of the flood in 2021 that left Jeremy Aaron and his family stranded for 3 days.

“The first day was very kelam-kabut (hectic),” says the resident of Kampung Tabuan Dayak. “Everyone rushed to salvage their electric items…We stayed on the second floor the whole time, and called our elderly neighbours to check on them.”

(Feature image: Drains in Kuching are woefully inadequate to cope with denser cities and extreme rainfall  |  Photo by Arieff Zafir)

Continue reading
In-Depth

Sowing Seeds of Resilience in Heirloom Rice

Leave a comment

As the climate crisis continues to impact rice production, heirloom rice could save the day, as the highlands farmers of Sarawak show.

AT LONG Semadoh, there is plenty of rice. In fact, there is so much that excess is sometimes fed to livestock.

“Some people from outside our village think it’s outrageous that we feed our heirloom rice to our pigs,” says villager Peter Tadam with a laugh. “But what’s wrong with giving good food — food we plant with our hands — to our livestock?”

(Feature photo: Beras Adan Merah is one of the Long Semadoh heirloom varieties that have been grown for generations | Image: Arieff Zafir)

(more...)