KOTA KINABALU – For about two years, residents of several blocks in the quiet Country Heights apartments here have been calling on the management corporation to repair the landslip from a nearby hill that has encroached into the residential apartment space.
However, they claim that actions thus far have not been satisfactory, and that it has been claimed that repairs cannot be carried out due to the insurance claim process.
The patience of the apartment owners is wearing thin as the recent two thunderstorms in many parts of Penampang, Kota Kinabalu, and Putatan have worsened the landslip and mudflow under their blocks.
Concerns have also been raised over the integrity of the buildings, which have suffered numerous mud floods below.
A resident who wished to be known only as Florence urged the authorities to step in and probe into the structural integrity of their blocks.
“The landslip is getting worse and today, we are seeing more earth movement and water runoffs with the heavy rain,” said Florence, who is a tenant at one of the units in the affected Country Heights apartments today.
She said she fears the soil underneath her block may already have been washed out by rainwater and made worse by the landslip.
“We need an expert assessment of the risk we, the unit owners, are facing now. We also want the district council to come in and consider the livability of our blocks,” said Florence after the flooding earlier today.
An excavator has been clearing the leftover mud brought by the floods since early this morning.
Responding to a call, the Fire and Rescue Department had also visited the site and advised the management to build an alternative drain and allow rainwater to flow easily.
The existing drain is buried by mud, which is currently blocking the course of water trickling downhill.
Lintas fire station chief Agustavia Joe Guasi noted that this was not the first time his men had visited the area and that they had constantly advised the management to clear the soil from the waterways.
“We had visited the landsli to monitor the situation several times. but there has been no action from the local government and Public Works Department,” she said. – The Vibes, September 21, 2021
