SANDAKAN: Last Friday’s flash flood that struck numerous parts of Sandakan serves as yet another stark and distressing reminder of a perennial problem that continues to plague our town and disrupt the lives of our people. The sight of roads turned into rivers and homes inundated with murky water is becoming far too familiar.
In light of this, SAPP vice president Thomas Lau Chi Keong urged all relevant authorities to move beyond mere rhetoric and demonstrate a genuine, unwavering commitment to solving this issue once and for all.
Lau called upon the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (JPPS), the Public Works Department (JKR), the Sandakan Municipal Council (MPS), and the relevant State Government ministries—namely the Ministry of Local Government and Housing and the Ministry of Works and Infrastructures—to come together and treat this not as a seasonal inconvenience, but as a critical emergency that demands a permanent solution.
These are not acts of God, but consequences of man-made factors that have been ignored for too long. It is time to leave no stone untouched and conduct a thorough, honest investigation into the root causes.
This must include:
Auditing Drainage Systems: A comprehensive review of the capacity and maintenance of our existing drainage infrastructure to ensure it can handle rapid development and heavy rainfall.
Reviewing Development Approvals: Scrutinizing whether ongoing and past developments have adhered to proper environmental and drainage impact assessments, and if unregulated construction has exacerbated the situation.
Addressing Siltation and Blockages: Intensifying efforts to clear rivers, drains, and culverts that are clogged with silt and garbage, a primary contributor to flash floods.
Long-Term Mitigation Planning: Developing and executing a master plan for flood mitigation in Sandakan that is not just a document, but a funded and actionable roadmap with clear timelines.
This problem is not unique to Sandakan. It is a reality for many other towns and areas across Sabah. The state government must take the lead in ensuring that its agencies are coordinated, accountable, and proactive. The community at large, from business owners to families, cannot continue to bear the emotional and financial toll of these disasters.
Lau urges all these authorities to walk the talk. A few comments and press statements after every flood are no longer acceptable. We need to see boots on the ground, shovels in the earth, and concrete plans being implemented.
“We pray for better weather, but more importantly, we demand that our leaders and the civil service start cracking this problem with the urgency and seriousness it deserves. The livelihood of our community depends on it,” he added.
