Shafie orders flood-hit districts in Sabah to activate disaster management committees

Sabah Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal directed all flood-hit districts in the state to activate their disaster management committees to ensure the affected areas are properly attended to.

He said every district officer involved should cooperate with all available agencies to ensure the problem could be handled in the best way.

“To overcome this problem, several factors must be prioritised, namely the safety of the affected village residents… other than that, we must also ensure there is sufficient food," Shafie said.

“The government will also ensure there is sufficient supply of clean water… otherwise, it could lead to other problems, such as the outbreak of cholera," he said while conducting a survey of the flooded areas and the temporary evacuation centre at the Penampang Cultural Centre today.

Shafie said the federal-level disaster management committee was also directed to monitor the flood situation in the affected districts.

“We will ensure the evacuation centres are in good condition… I ask that the cleanliness of these centres be given priority. I am confident we can properly tackle the flood problem if all parties give their cooperation,” he said.

He said the Sabah Infrastructure Ministry was also ordered to quickly repair all roads or bridges damaged during the floods.

Meanwhile, he attributed the floods in several districts in the state on the poorly planned drainage system.

“Other than that, there were some uncompleted flood mitigation plans, like in the Penampang area, and we must find ways to expedite action so that the problem can be resolved immediately. All poorly planned drains must be improved and rivers widened,” he added.

- Bernama