KOTA KINABALU: Efforts are made regularly to clear drains of debris and mitigate long-standing issues of flooding in the city and the neighbouring Penampang and Putatan districts, says Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (pic).
The Deputy Chief Minister said it costs about RM40mil to clear 170.5km of drainage channels of silt and vegetation three times a year.
However, he said this frequency was inadequate.
"This is because of rapid development in these areas and changing weather patterns owing to climate change," he said in a statement on Wednesday (Feb 5).
Parti Warisan's Moyog assemblyman Datuk Darell Leiking had blamed poor maintenance of drainage systems as the primary cause of recurring floods in these areas.
"We need more funding if we want to increase the frequency of cleaning the drains, and of course, (that requires) additional budget," Kitingan said.
He also noted that the flood mitigation projects currently being implemented would not comprehensively resolve flooding, particularly in the Penampang and Putatan districts.
He said one of the measures involving the RM297.960mil Integrated River Basin Development Project for the Moyog River (PLSB Sg Moyog) that involves Donggongon town and the Putatan area, was underway.
However, he said the proposed flood mitigation project for the central area of the Moyog River (in Penampang) and the Petagas River (in Putatan) has yet to be approved.
Kitingan said all stakeholders, including federal and state authorities, the community, and the private sector, as well as non-governmental organisations (NGO) must work together to effectively address flooding.
He said cooperation from all parties was necessary to resolve the problems in Moyog and Putatan related to the drainage system as well as housing and town planning.
"We also need community cooperation to stop littering, and for housing developers (to assist) in our efforts to mitigate flooding.
"We need the cooperation of the leaders there, including Darrell himself," he said.
On changing weather patterns, he said: "We cannot change them. If we continue to respond to heavier rainfall and keep expanding the drainage system, we are not addressing the root cause of the problem, which is climate change and environmental issues."
Kitingan said everyone should pay attention to the conservation of nature, including the environment and rivers, as this can help reduce climate change in the long term.
