KOTA KINABALU – Development plans submitted to Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) will need to be relooked to help reduce the effects of flash floods in the city, said Kota Kinabalu mayor Datuk Noorliza Awang Alip.
She said DBKK has found irrefutable evidence that the cause of countless floods in the city was due to the rising sea levels.
Noorliza said DBKK now is working closely with the Irrigation and Drainage Department (DID) to resolve the problem.
“Actually, the water levels (from the sea) are rising. When we look into the incidents of flash floods in the city, we notice that water from the sea has entered into the local waterways.
“We have talked about this with DID. There have been suggestions to install floodgates (to reduce the flash-floods) among others.
“But at the same time, we also see a need for DBKK to relook into all the development plans submitted to us to reduce the environmental impact,” she told reporters after the launching of the International Symposium on Developing and Managing Water’s Edge City 2022 here today.
Flash floods have become rampant in Kota Kinabalu over the last several years, with the worst incident reported on September 15, where three individuals died due to landslides and flood-related disaster.
Also present was assistant minister to Sabah chief minister Datuk Abidin Madingkir, who was represented by chief minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
On another note, Hajiji, in his speech read by Abidin, noted the DBKK building here as being the first in East Malaysia building to have 5G coverage. – The Vibes, December 6, 2022
