Kota Kinabalu: Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick said efforts to tackle the flood problem in Penampang are ongoing through the Penampang Flood Mitigation Project which is implemented in stages.
He said Packages 1 and 3 of the Flood Mitigation Project were ongoing, while Packages 2 and 4 had been brought up to the Cabinet meeting on Friday.
“According to the briefing from the Drainage and Irrigation Department (JPS), Package 1 involving Sungai Moyog started in November 2016 and scheduled to be completed in 2019.
“However, due to some issues the project is currently at 79.41 per cent and expected to be completed by December 2024.
“Meanwhile, Package 3 of the Flood Mitigation Project involving Sungai Putatan is expected to be completed in December this year,” he said.
For Package 2 and Package 4, Ewon suggested the project worth RM500 million be included in the distribution of flood mitigation allocations starting this year, which is expected to start in 2024 and completed by 2029.
In the past few days, Ewon, who is also Penampang Member of parliament, said he and representatives from the District Office, Public Works Department and JPS inspected several areas around Sungai Moyog and Sungai Putatan to see the cause of the floods.
“I found that apart from the Pan Borneo project, other causes include drainage not being maintained, construction of temporary bridges blocking the passage of tree and timber debris and the construction of houses on the river banks that cause the river area to shrink.
“This matter requires enforcement and cooperation from all parties, not only from the technical departments and representatives of the people, but the community must also be held accountable,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ewon welcomed the road-widening project in the district, especially the construction of a flyover and upgrade of Jalan Donggongon-Tambunan.
“With the current road upgrade and me pushing for the Package 2 and Package 4 of Flood Mitigation Project, we can solve both problems together.
“Both are my priority. With that, we need everyone to play their part to ensure we can speed up these projects,” he added.
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