FLOOD DISASTERS REMAIN A CONSTANT IN BEAUFORT, WITH LOSSES RUNNING INTO MILLIONS

BEAUFORT, Jan 7 (Bernama) -- The frequent flooding disasters affecting the Beaufort district, especially in the Lumadan area, have caused losses amounting to millions of ringgit, and these include destroyed crops, animal deaths and damage to residents' property.

Sabah Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industries Datuk Ruslan Muharam said area residents were forced to face the flood situation nearly 10 times a year.

"It is estimated that over 10,000 farmers were affected by the flood disaster, and the floods affected, among others, their crops, fruits and rice fields, with little hope of achieving their expected yield.

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"We ask the farmers to report to the district agricultural officers to be reported to the state level before being brought to the federal level," he told reporters after visiting the flood areas, temporary evacuation centres (PPS) at the Kampung Batandok Mosque and the Kampung Padas Damit Hall.

Ruslan, who is also the Lumadan state assemblyman, also advised residents who experienced damage caused by the flood disasters to report it for the purpose of claiming assistance.

Meanwhile, Ruslan said the state government constantly strives to overcome the flood problem, especially to build flood mitigation measures.

He said flood mitigation measures have been successfully implemented to overcome the flood problem that previously inundated Beaufort town, especially when floods happen in the district.

He said that usually when floods occur, the old town of Beaufort is submerged, but with the construction of flood mitigation measures, the old town is no longer flooded.

"That was the first post-flood assessment, and we will work on the next one," he said, adding that a PPS is currently being planned for construction in Kampung Padas Damit.

Ruslan said the construction site for the PPS is currently being identified and is expected to accommodate approximately 1,000 victims from 300 families to facilitate the evacuation of flood victims from nearby villages.

As of this evening, the Sabah State Disaster Management Committee (JPBN) secretariat reported that only two districts are still affected by the floods, namely Tenom and Beaufort, with a total of 1,206 people from 425 families being housed in nine PPS in the two affected districts.

-- BERNAMA