Kota Kinabalu: Former Chief Minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee urged the Sabah Government to act immediately on the State’s long-standing flood issues, stressing that solutions have existed for decades.
Highlighting widespread flood damage in districts such as Penampang, Beaufort, Lahad Datu, Nabawan, Keningau and Pitas, he said the Government could not afford further delays.
“The problems and solutions were identified as early as 1994 in the Sabah Water Resources Master Plan,” he said in a statement Monday.
The SAPP President called on the State and the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) to revisit the 1994 Plan, which contains dedicated chapters on flood mitigation still relevant today.
“The Government should revisit plans like the Sabah Water Resources Master Plan 1994 and understand what have been proposed then, and why things might not have been fully implemented. Obviously, the 1994 plans can be updated with new data,” he said.
The 1994 Master Plan included entire chapters specifically on floods and flood mitigation which are still relevant today, he added.
“Some older projects, like the Likas Lagoon pump house from 1988, still work. We need more such success stories.”
Yong stressed the urgency for decisive planning and construction of long-overdue facilities, urging an end to what he called a destructive and avoidable cycle.
