60 Sabah villages hit by floods following incessant rain

KOTA KINABALU – Incessant rain that started late Tuesday and lasted until yesterday has caused flooding in 45 villages in Beaufort and 15 villages in Membakut.

The Beaufort District Disaster Management secretariat in a statement today said no one has been evacuated so far. However, one relief centre has been opened at Dewan DSP Mohd Dun Banir as a precautionary measure.

The statement said among the affected villages in Beaufort are Binunuk, Balibata, Simpang Empat, Bakalau, Sungkadan, Melalugus, Batandok Lubak, Melati, Lumatai; while in Membakut, the affected areas included Kg Bambangan, Sinoko, Sindok, Baitam Ulu, Baitam Laut, and Baitam Baru.

“Continuous downpour in Beaufort, Tenom and the Ulu Membakut area has caused water levels to rise at Sg Membakut and Sg Padas in both districts.

“Two gates of the Pangi Hydro Dam had to be opened to reduce the quantity of water in the dam, causing the water in Sg Padas to reach a dangerous level and following that, the Disaster Operations Control Centre was activated yesterday,” it said.

The floods also affected 59 roads in the districts, including Jalan Kg Binunuk, Jalan Pekan Lama Membakut, Jalan Kg Baitam Baru, Jalan Kg Suasa and Jalan Kg Kangsa.

Also hit were 11 schools, including three in the Membakut district, namely SK Kg Bambangan, SK Sinoko and SK Pekan Membakut. – Bernama, September 2, 2021