Posted on July 20, 2026
By T.n. Alagesh
KUANTAN: Building embankment walls without deepening riverbeds will be ineffective in preventing floods, the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, said.
The ruler reiterated his call for shallow rivers to be deepened, noting that embankments would be of little use if rivers continued to silt up.
“I have always emphasised that any village or town located along a river needs to have the river flowing through it deepened. No matter how high the embankments are, there is no use if the river is laden with silt and continues to become shallow.
“Our rivers are becoming shallower, and the water will eventually overflow into the surrounding areas. It is a very simple formula… no rocket science is needed,” he said in his speech when opening the RM6 million Sungai Lembing Fire and Rescue Station here today.
Also present were Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, Deputy Economy Minister Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah, who is also the Paya Besar member of parliament and Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu and Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Mohammad.
The project, which began in 2024, is scheduled for completion by early next year.
“These projects are necessary because Sungai Lembing is among the areas that experience flooding almost every year.
“If you want to know whether Pahang is going to flood, look at Sungai Lembing first. If Sungai Lembing floods, then Kuantan will likely flood as well….that has long been a benchmark for us in Pahang,” he said.
Early last year, Al-Sultan Abdullah called for the deepening and widening of rivers across the state, saying sedimentation had caused rivers in several districts to become shallower, resulting in frequent overflows and flooding.
On Sungai Lembing, a former tin-mining hub, Al-Sultan Abdullah noted that the town has a rich history that thrived during the British colonial era before economic shifts led to its decline.
“It was once a thriving mining town during the British colonial era. However, mining activities eventually declined due to economic and market conditions at the time,” he said.
