KOTA KINABALU: After a 10-day downpour in Penampang, volunteers have built eco-friendly gabions to address soil erosion, landslides and loosened earth.
Guided by geologist and Penampang Municipal Council councillor Dr Felix Tongkul, Kapayan assemblyman Datuk Jannie Lasimbang joined volunteers to complete six tiers of eco-gabions in response to a landslide.
The five-hour initiative at Kg Nosoob Baru involved stacking used tyres, filling them with soil and planting lemongrass.
“Built with natural materials, local expertise and collective effort, the eco-gabion is an affordable and eco-friendly measure to stabilise slopes and reduce the risk of future disasters,” Lasimbang said.
She praised the initiative and joined the gotong-royong alongside volunteers and said the effort shows community strength and local knowledge can turn crisis into opportunity while reinforcing safer, more sustainable living environments.
“With climate change intensifying rainfall and triggering disasters, as seen from numerous landslides around Kota Kinabalu a week ago, we must seek solutions that are sustainable and cost-effective,” Lasimbang said.
She said the eco-gabion is one such solution and that preparation must be done before disaster strikes using practical, environmentally sensitive approaches driven by people working hand in hand.
In related developments, Kapayan launched Skuad Sungai, a volunteer movement to safeguard rivers, in conjunction with World Rivers Day on September 28.
The initiative complements efforts like eco-gabions by embedding long-term environmental stewardship into daily action.
This year, Pesta Sungai Kapayan has been cancelled as a mark of respect for lives lost in the recent landslide tragedy.
“These efforts remind us that solutions do not always need to come from outside,” Lasimbang said.
“They can begin here with our own hands, our rivers and our shared determination to protect the places we call home,” she added.
“Our responsibility is not only to respond to disasters but to build a future where people and nature can thrive together,” she said.
Last week, landslides and floods caused 14 deaths in Penampang and Papar and displaced thousands statewide.
Local leaders, politicians, companies such as Borenos Fried Chicken, organisations including Lions Club and churches have stepped in to help.
