TENOM: The flood mitigation initiative in Tenom is set to proceed despite some villages being outside the main construction area, stated the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food Industry, Datuk Jamawi Jaafar.
He mentioned that this was communicated to the residents during a dialogue session that also included the Sabah Irrigation and Drainage Department (JPS) to address their concerns regarding the project’s implementation.
“The community asked whether this project could be canceled, but it is a government project that must go on. We are grateful to the Director of JPS Sabah, Ir Haji Siraja Haji Bashora, and Datuk SUT MAFFI, Datuk Leonard Stephen Poyong, who came to explain the next steps to the residents,” he said.
According to Jamawi, the residents also wanted to know the follow-up actions after the first phase of the project is completed, including the status of villages not included in the flood mitigation area currently under construction.
“I have been informed that JPS will prepare a proposal for phase two to be submitted to the Federal Government. This is to ensure that the excluded areas also receive assistance to mitigate flood impacts if water levels rise,” he explained.
He added that the proposal involves widening rivers and deepening riverbanks in areas that were previously dead rivers but now form a new alignment compared to five years ago.
“If phase two can be implemented, I am confident that issues in this area will decrease, and residents will be more satisfied. They previously felt like victims of the situation, but after JPS’s explanation, they understand that this project needs to continue,” he said, who is also the Melalap assemblyman.
He noted that three villages are involved, including Kampung Ului, Kampung Makakagas, and Kampung Binaie, where residents expressed concerns about the possibility of severe flooding in the future due to the existence of a separating wall between their village and other areas.
