Balingian also known as Kuala Balingian is a town in

Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. It lies approximately east-north-east of the state capital

Kuching Kuching ( , ), officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak Ri ...

Etymology

Baligian got its name from a river crossing the town. The river was once used by the local residents to go to their hill paddy fields.

History

Government

The Balingian sub-district is administered by a Sarawak Administrative Officer (SAO) and three ''Penghulu'' (regional chief). Administrative areas of Balingian sub-district includes Balingian delta, Arip river, Bawan river, and Bawang Assan river, all under the administration of Dalat and Mukah District Council (MDDM).

Geography

Balingian is located inside the Balingian sub-district, about 60 km from Mukah town. The Balingian sub-district is measured as 3,032 km². The town of Balingian is located between the Mukah town and the

Bintulu Bintulu is a coastal town on the island of Borneo in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. Bintulu is located northeast of Kuching, northeast of Sibu, and southwest of Miri, Malaysia, Miri. With a population of 114,058 as of 2010, Bintulu ...

town. It takes one hour to go to Mukah from Balingian and three hours to go to

Sibu Sibu is a landlocked city located in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. It serves as the capital of Sibu District within Sibu Division and is situated on the island of Borneo. Covering an area of , the city is positioned at the conf ...

. Balingian can also be reached through the sea from Tatau and Bintulu. There is also a coastal road connecting Balingian to the mouth of the Balingian river and Tatau. Neighbouring settlements include: * Lemai south * Kuala Tatau northeast * Penipah west * Tatau east * Kenyana west * Penakub west * Rumah Kelambu east * Kampung Jebungan west * Mukah west * Rumah Nyawai south

Climate

Balingian has a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...

(Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round.

Demographics

According to the Balingian public health clinic estimation, Balingian town has a total population of 15,327 people in 2002. It consists of Iban people (68.3%) and

Melanau people Melanau ( Malay: ''Orang Melanau'', Melanau: ''Tenawan Melanau'') or ''A-Likou'' (meaning River people in Mukah dialect) is an ethnic group indigenous to Sarawak, Malaysia, and also present in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. They are among the ea ...

(29.49%). All the populations stay in six villages and 137 longhouses.

Economy

Majority of the residents here manage their own shophouses and individual stalls in bazaar. A bazaar is held every weekend selling daily necessities and agricultural produce. The establishment of Regional Growth Centre (RGC), Sarawak Oil-Palm Plantation (SOP), FELCRA Berhad allows the local people to involve in large scale oil palm plantations. Other economic activities in Balingian include:

sago Sago () is a starch extracted from the pith, or spongy core tissue, of various tropical palm stems, especially those of ''Metroxylon sagu''. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, where it is c ...

, rice, and coconut cultivation, fish and chicken domestication, and logging. Coal mining has been ongoing in the Balingian coal field. Balingian coal-fired power plant commenced operation since May 2019. It is the first plant in Malaysia to use circulating fluidized bed technology to handle various coal types. Under

Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy The Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE; Malay language, Malay: ) is an economic region and Economic corridor, development corridor covering central Sarawak, a Malaysian State on the island of Borneo. SCORE was launched in 2008. It is one ...

(SCORE); an aluminium smelting plant located at about 25 km from Balingian was built.

Offshore oil Offshore drilling is a mechanical process where a wellbore is drilled below the seabed. It is typically carried out in order to explore for and subsequently extract petroleum that lies in rock formations beneath the seabed. Most commonly, the te ...

and gas is also a growth area for Balingian.

Transport

Road

Coastal road has improved Balingian link to other towns, especially those who went to Mukah and

(via Kuala Tatau).

Other utilities

Education

Amongst the schools available here are: SRK Parish (Parish primary school), SRB Chung Hua (Chung Hua primary school), Perpaduan kindergarten, Sedidik kindergarten and the upcoming SMK Balingian.

Healthcare

Balingian public health clinic was established in 1989. The clinic also has implemented a Teleprimary care (TPC) system. It is an audiovisual system where patients can be assessed and treated remotely without being sent to the nearby hospitals.

Culture and leisure

Balingian is known for its river shrimps and have become an attraction for anglers.

State constituency

References

{{Sarawak Towns in Sarawak