Likas State Assemblyman Wong Hong Jun (Junz Wong) has urged the government of Sabah to take necessary steps to counter the long term problem of flooding.

The floods in Beaufort, Tenom and Kenigau have affected an estimated fifty thousand people. This traces back to when the Padas River broke its banks on December 19 2013 due to incessant downpours.

Wong commented on the drainage system’s ineffectiveness in handling the torrents of rain and suggested a few steps the government needs to take to solve the flooding issue once and for all.

“We understand if the departments involved are incapable of handling the flash floods issue due to heavy rainfall. Therefore, this issue must be solved with proper planning by professional bodies utilizing large sums of funding to study and implement an action plan. While it would be in the interest of all parties to solve this issue within a short period of time, monitoring the effectiveness of its implementation will require time”.

“We must form a fully equipped committee or rescue team that is permanently on standby to rescue flood victims. Also, there should be flood shelters in the Beafort, Tenom and Keningau city areas to house and feed the victims temporarily”, he said

Wong added that the villagers and nearby communities should be educated on how to handle and avoid flash floods, basic life saving techniques, and who should be contacted in such times.

“The Sabah government which received a record amount of over 6 billion ringgit in 2014’s budget  should have responded promptly to the situation by having a meeting to plan and propose the funneling of state funds to solve the flooding problems which would resurface in the months to come”, he said.

Wong also asserted that Sabah needs a concrete solution and continuous effort to combat this problem starting right now. He added that a sound resolution would require honest political will as the situation at hand has proven to be not easy to solve. Only then will the Sabah government be able to stop the floods. -The Rocket