KOTA KINABALU: Several houses in Kampung Pengkalan Bukit Garam, Kinabatangan, experienced flooding following heavy rainfall in the area.
The Fire and Rescue Department received an emergency call at 9.16am yesterday and promptly dispatched a five-member team from the Kinabatangan Fire Station to the scene, located about 11km from here.
Operations commander PBK II Jasmani Osni led the team, which arrived at 9.35am in a fire rescue tender and assessed the situation before swinging into action.
“Upon arrival, our team found that several houses had been affected by floodwaters.
“Rescue and inspection operations were carried out,” said a department spokesman in a media update yesterday.
No injuries or casualties were reported.
Kinabatangan Civil Defence Force officer Kapt Ahmad Roslan Mohd Kamel said the situation remained under close observation, although no evacuation was necessary so far.
“As of 1.30pm, no evacuation has been carried out. Most residents in the area have boats, so they’re not too concerned,” he told The Star.
However, at 4.45pm, Kinabatangan was officially declared a flood-affected district by Kinabatangan district officer Willey Lampaki, following field reports from relevant agencies.
Later in the evening, he also announced the activation of a temporary evacuation centre at SK Bukit Garam at 6pm to facilitate the movement of victims from high-risk areas as river levels reached the danger mark.
Kampung Pengkalan is no stranger to flooding, with this being the third reported incident in 2025 alone.
In February, floodwaters forced 53 residents from 16 households to evacuate to a temporary relief centre at Sekolah Agama Negeri Pekan Bukit Garam.
Back in January 2021, the village also saw severe flooding that led to the relocation of several families, including infants, following a government assessment that deemed the area unsafe for long-term habitation.
Ahmad Roslan said authorities had previously provided alternative housing for residents in Kampung Pelangi under a resettlement programme, with Kampung Pengkalan Bukit Garam declared a “zero-ground” zone unsuitable for permanent living.
However, due to a flawed system, other individuals eventually moved into the same flood-prone area, effectively undoing the government’s earlier efforts to reduce risk in the village.
He noted that most current residents have boats, which allow them to manage during floods.
“The houses are built on ground level that is nearly flush with the main road, so flooding is almost inevitable when the river rises.”
Ahmad Roslan said the situation remains a challenge for disaster management planning, as repeated floods continue to disrupt lives in the area once declared unfit for settlement.
