Kota Kinabalu: Government agencies and elected representatives have been directed to submit a list of immediate, small-scale mitigation projects to the City Hall (DBKK) within two weeks to address worsening flood risks in Kota Kinabalu and Sepanggar.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the proposals could cover river dredging, drain maintenance, and the construction of new channels to protect vulnerable hotspots.
Chairing the Kota Kinabalu District Disaster Committee special coordination meeting here Wednesday, the Sepanggar MP attributed recurring floods to intensified rainfall, inadequate upkeep, and ageing drainage networks that fail to cope with current weather patterns.
Mustapha noted that surrounding developments had left older residential areas, including Taman Wijaya Park and Kampung Rampayan, vulnerable to runoff accumulating from adjacent higher ground.
For long-term solutions, he announced that the second phase of the Rampayan River flood mitigation project would be placed under the second rolling plan of the 13th Malaysia Plan, while urging residents to stay vigilant during the Northeast Monsoon.
