VILLAGERS WANT PROACTIVE MEASURES TO BE TAKEN TO CURB FLOODS IN TAWAU

TAWAU, Jan 10 (Bernama) -- Villagers in Kampung Tanjung Batu Keramat here want proactive measures to be taken to tackle frequent flooding, the latest of which is said to be the worst since the village was established in 1969.

Village chief Abdul Rahman Borhan, 70, said waist-high flood waters had forced them to evacuate on Thursday.

“Usually floods reach our ankles but on Thursday night we were already cautious. But when the water rushed in quickly and swiftly, my house was also flooded but it wasn’t as bad as the edges of the village.

“The Civil Defence Force (CDF) advised villagers to evacuate and I asked the mosque chairman to allow Masjid Al-Mukarramah to be used as a relief centre before the CDF helped evacuate villagers using boats at 3 am,” he told reporters here today.

Mohd Fadzil Ismail, 43, voiced his agreement, and asked the government to take neccesary action to tackle the flooding for their safety and well-being.

He said that swift flowing floodwaters entered his house at midnight and kept rising at 2 am, causing them to evacuate to the relief centre.

Fellow villager Mohd Shahrizal Hassan, 25, had to seek the help of the CDF to evacuate his bedridden father when his house was flooded.

“Thankfully the CDF came to help evacuate my father who suffered a stroke five years ago,” he said, adding that he hoped that the government would help them relocate to a people’s housing project.

Meanwhile, Tanjung Batu assemblyman Dr Andi Md Shamsureezal Mohd Sainal said a meeting would be held with the Department of Irrigation and Drainage next week to look for a short-term solution.

“This involves the welfare of the people, so we need a short term solution as the flood mitigation will take a long time,” he said.

-- BERNAMA