Ramboll, a global architecture, engineering, and consultancy company, will continue to support the Government of Sarawak to further develop and deliver the Cloudburst masterplan for Sibu city, Sarawak in Malaysia. The integrated “Cloudburst” planning and design approach to flood management will enable
Sibu to be developed as a sustainable and resilient city.
Ramboll was appointed by the client in 2023 to conduct the flood risk assessment for the area as the first stage of the contract. In the subsequent stage 2 and stage 3, Ramboll will develop a conceptual and schematic masterplan and design options including the redevelopment of the Bukit Assek area in Sibu city.
Sibu city, Sarawak is heavily impacted by frequent flooding due to its unique geographical location in a low-lying area near the mouth of Rajang River. Heavy rainfall and tides cause the river water to rise and overflow into the surrounding land, damaging buildings, infrastructure, agriculture, and livelihoods of the people living in the affected areas.
The Government of Sarawak sought an innovative approach from Ramboll to tackle this complex challenge. What started out as a city plan for flood protection developed into an overall masterplan, which not only protects the city against flooding, but also provides further solutions towards liveability and improvements of the microclimate as well as water management to avoid further land subsidence.
Pritha Hariram, Ramboll’s director in water infrastructure and climate resilience for Asia Pacific, said: “we are proud to support our client to undertake this significant project in Asia Pacific. The integrated approach to addressing flood risks, combined with creating multifunctionality space and infrastructure, deemed as Cloudburst planning, is key in realising economic, social and environmental benefits, creating a liveable and resilient urban environment for its residence and visitors alike.”
“Ramboll’s strong track record in blue-green infrastructure in the region and globally is enabled by our integrated and multidisciplinary capabilities in water, master planning, urban design, landscape design, civil & structure engineering, mobility and environmental advisory.” Added Pritha.
Ramboll’s approach will bring expertise across several sectors including; mobility, landscape and urban planning to improving flood management through nature-based solutions and regenerative design, as well as fulfilling the city’s socio-economic development.
The conceptual masterplan is expected to be completed by July 2024.
Cloudburst planning and design
Cloudburst planning and design has been implemented in major Western cities like Copenhagen and New York City in addressing extreme rainfalls in a modern and sustainable manner. However, this is the first time a city-wide Cloudburst plan has been implemented in Asia by Ramboll.
Cloudburst resiliency planning in its simplest form is about helping cities cope with the extreme rainfall events of the future caused largely by climate change. Importantly, the strategy tackles key flood management and water quality issues but it also creates the greatest possible synergy with the urban
environment. The solutions are therefore multifunctional and the approach nature-based.
What would previously have been a drainage channel could now, for example, become a community park that would also manage water overflow. This is a new generation of blue-green infrastructure that addresses climate change while also responding to community needs.
