A view of the sky window which is expected to be completed next month.
KUCHING (Apr 10): If you have been gloomy over news pertaining to the Covid-19 pandemic, poor economic growth and other not-so-positive pieces, here is something to lighten you up a bit.
Some 30 minutes ride and 20km from the city, a sky window – part of the Batu Kawah Riverbank Park project commenced in late 2018 – has been erected to give a facelift to the Batu Kawah constituency.
Believed to be the first of its kind in the state, the Sky Window is nearly completed after the contractor lifted the 30-tonne 100-foot long sky deck into position on Thursday at Level 8.
The sky window is 10-storey high and developed under the first phase of the entire project spanning a total of 15.6 acres. It shall be a landmark for Batu Kawah.
Without this landscape project, the area would just be a piece of wasteland located under a road bridge which nobody would pay attention to.
Now, the wasteland is being transformed into a park, with unique design and a total of 2km walkway from one end, the Chinese temple at the Batu Kawa Old Bazaar all the way to Kampung Rantau Panjang on the other end.
The Batu Kawah Riverbank Park project is divided into five phases with its first and second phase funded by the state government at a cost of RM8.8 million and Padawan Municipal Council is the implementing agency.
The first two phases are expected to be completed by next month.
According to a Facebook post by Batu Kawah assemblyman Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, the fourth phase which is funded by the federal government has begun.
He said the fifth phase which involved works at Kampung Rantau Panjang will be funded by the state government and implemented by the state Drainage and Irrigation Department.
“Was told the contractor will start work once materials arrived from China,” said the Local Government and Housing Minister in the social media post Thursday night.
Dr Sim added: “Phase 3 will link all these four phases, with sensual glass bridge over Sungai Moyan.”
Once the sky window is completed, local residents and city dwellers alike can go up to the sky deck eight storey high through either the staircases or the lift to take in the view of the surrounding area.
As the sky window is erected by the riverbank, once you get to the top, the river is right beneath your feet.
Imagine taking in the view of some parts of the city which is different than when you stand atop any public open space in Kuching.
Not only is the Batu Kawah Riverbank Park project aimed at transforming the wasteland there, it also offers a conducive area to promote healthy lifestyle and community cohesiveness among the locals.
With the 2km walkway stretching from one end to the other, the community visiting the suburban park can enjoy leisure activities such as brisk-walking and kite-flying.
Once this project is completed in a year or two, the old part of Batu Kawah will be more vibrant than what it is now.
The people here can look forward to this new recreational area in the city as the fight against the pandemic goes on.