KOTA KINABALU: Short term flood mitigation measures are being carried out by Sabah’s Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) to alleviate frequent flooding in Kota Belud, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan.
These include dredging and straightening Sungai Kedamaian and other rivers.
“There will also be long term works on the rivers to minimise the incidence of flooding in the future,” said Abdul Rahman, who is also Kota Belud MP, after chairing a meeting at the District Office about recent floods which forced the evacuation of hundreds of families.
Floods have become a regular occurrence in Kota Belud as the rivermouths of the Sungaih Kadamaian and Sungai Tampasuk were clogged with rocks and siltation following the Mount Kinabalu earthquake in 2015.
Abdul Rahman said the Federal Government has allocated some RM80mil for flood mitigation works at the Kadamaian and Tampasuk rivers in the district.
The meeting attended by police, Fire and Rescue Department and Civil Defence Force also discussed ways to improve their response when evacuating flood victims.
Also at the meeting were Usukan assemblyman Datuk Salleh Tun Said, Tampasuk Assemblyman Datuk Musbah Jamli, Kadamaian assemblyman Jeremy Malajad and Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak.
In Petaling Jaya, The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) issued an advisory on rough weather expected off the sea of Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan in the wake of tropical storm Kai-Tak making its way towards the Philippines.
As at 11am, the tropical storm was some 1,143km north-east of the coast of Sandakan.
“This condition may cause strong winds of 40kph to 50kph and waves of up to 3.5m high in the waters off Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan,” it said on its website here yesterday.
The department also warned of heavy rains with strong winds over Kudat and the West Coast and Interior of the Sabah, Labuan and Sarawak from today until Wednesday.
Among the areas affected in Sarawak are Kuching, Samarahan, Serian, Sri Aman, Betong, Sarikei, Mukah, Sibu, Bintulu, Miri and Limbang.
In Sabah, the areas involved are Kuala Penyu, Beaufort, Sipitang, Tenom, Keningau and Tambunan.
MetMalaysia has also issued a Category 2 or orang alert warning for fishing boats and ferries over strong winds of between 50kph and 60kph with waves of up to 4.5m high off Samui, Condore and Reef North and Tioman from yesterday until Tuesday.
AFP reported that tens of thousands were driven from their homes by floods and three fishermen were missing yesterday as Tropical Storm Kai-Tak barrelled towards the eastern Philippines.
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