Dalat is the administrative town of the Dalat district in Mukah Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is situated by the Oya river.
Etymology
According to Heidi Munan's book "How Dalat Got Its Name", Dalat was named following a bloodshed among three brothers as the village chief did not name a successor. Many people died in the war. Corpses lying in the village attracted flies. "Dalat" means fly in the Melanau language, and therefore, the locals named the village Dalat, which is now a small town.
History
Government
Dalat is represented at the State Legislative Assembly by Dato' Sri Hajah Fatimah Abdullah from Gabungan Parti Sarawak. She won the seat in the 19th State Election 2021 for the fifth time. For Parliament, Dalat district is under Parliament 213: Mukah.
Geography
Similar to most areas in the Rajang Delta, Dalat town and its land district is located on peat land that is categorized as deep peat (more than 150 cm).
Climate
Dalat has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round.
Demographics
According to the 2010 National Census, Dalat townland has a population of 619.
Most of the people use Melanau language to communicate here. There is a slight difference of the language between each villages, yet they can understand each other very well. Other languages such as Malay, Sarawak Malay, Iban, Mandarin, Hokkien and English are also widely spoken.
Main religions practised in Dalat are Islam, Christianity (Roman Catholic, Methodist and SIB), Buddhism, and Malaysian Chinese religion.
Economy
Dalat is reputed to be the largest sago flour producer in the world. The district has four modern sago factories with a total output of more than 74 tonnes per day.
The importance of the sago palm tree is evident in the district tagline.
Transport
Road
Dalat is connected by a single-carriage road to Mukah. There are daily express bus services connecting Dalat and Miri via Bintulu and Mukah. In around 2010, a bridge named Jambatan Temenggong Mat Win was built at Oya River to connect Sungai Kut road and Kampung Kekan Road. This bridge help the local from Kampung Sungai Kut Muara, Kampung Kekan and Kampung Baru to reach Pekan Dalat easier and a lot more fuel and time saving.
Air
The nearest airport is Mukah Airport. The locals however prefer to use either Bintulu Airport or Sibu Airport to fly to Kuala Lumpur particularly.
Water
River transportation is still very vital in Dalat. There are speed boats connecting Dalat and Sibu with a fee of MYR 35. The journey takes approximately 2 hours.
Transport
Bus Express
Other utilities
Education
Dalat town has four secondary schools namely SMK Dalat, SMK Oya, SMK Batang Igan and SMK Agama Igan. In the town proper, there are nine primary schools namely SJK (C) Chin Hua, SK Saint Bernard, SK Kampung Sungai Ud, SK Kampung Tanam, SK Kampung Medong, SK Kampung Sg Kut Tengah, SK Saint Kevin, SJK (C) Poi Yuk, SK Kampung Kebuaw.
In January 2018, Centre Of Technical Excellence Sarawak (CENTEXS) Temporary Campus was officially launched by Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah offering Textile & Hospitality courses for the first intake. She also announced the plan to build a new CENTEXS campus costing RM 50 million will be built near Dalat Welfare Complex.
Healthcare
The town is served by an eight-bedded public hospital, Dalat Hospital. Despite having the fewest beds among 22 public hospitals in Sarawak, it is equipped with facilities such as X-ray laboratory and a dialysis centre.
Since there is a good system of transportation, any needs which Dalat Hospital could not handle would be referred to Mukah Hospital or even Sibu Hospital.
Others
Dalat town also has a post office, district office, a hospital, a stadium (Stadium Perpaduan Dalat), a few blocks of shop-houses, a Catholic church (St. Bernard Church), a Methodist Church, a Chinese temple (age more than a century), a district mosque and a Senior Citizens’ Activity Centre (PAWE). In June 2017, a voluntary fire station was launched. The fire station is an interim measure to respond swiftly to fires as the nearest facility is in Mukah, some 40 minutes’ drive away. In December 2020,'Bazaarnita Fatima' and Phase 2 of Dalat Waterfront were officially opened by the Chief Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Abang Abdul Rahman Johari bin Al-Marhum Tun Abang Haji Openg.
There is only one bank in Dalat which is a branch of RHB Bank.