Kanibongan hit by big flood first time in 23 years - residents

Residents in Mukim Kanibongan, about 25 kilometres from Pitas town, Sabah, were shocked and did not expect their village to also be affected by the current big floods, having not experienced such a disaster for a long time, with the last one happening 23 years ago.

Most of the residents, when met, recalled that the last time the village was hit by a big flood was in 1999, which submerged many houses there.

Aidil Mustapah Pusong, 50, of Kampung Pangkalan Kanibongan, said although floods occurred in his village every year, the situation was not as bad as last Sunday, when his house, which is built on stilts of 18 feet high, was also affected.

He said his house was built on high stilts as it was only about 20 metres from the Sungai Kanibongan.

“The water started to rise at about 1pm last Sunday due to heavy rain since the previous day (Saturday). However, this time the water was rising fast and within an hour, the water had risen to 18 feet high, which is the height of the stilts of my house, and also entered the house.

“The grocery store and vehicle workshop under the house were destroyed in the blink of an eye,” he said when met by Bernama at the relief centre at Dewan Kampung Sinukab.

Pitas is a district in northern Sabah and about 195 kilometres from Kota Kinabalu.

Another flood victim, Cyrus Masikah, 34, said it was the first time in his life that his house was submerged in the floods until the roof.

“I was born in this village and have been living here since then. This is the first time I am experiencing this extraordinary flood.

“Never has the water risen so high that it submerged the village road which is on high ground,” he said, adding that the flood destroyed his house and all their household belongings, estimating his losses at almost RM10,000.

Karim @Ayah Magaud, 64, from Kampung Batu 10, Kanibongan, said the flood that happened in their village this time was very unusual and unexpected.

"Normally, when there is a flood, even during heavy rain, the flood water will only be up to knee-high and will not affect the residents much as most of the houses are built on high stilts.

"The flood is unexpected. None of the residents had time to move their vehicles to higher ground because it happened so sudden. All we could do was grab the important documents and moved to the relief centre with the help of the rescue team," he added.

- Bernama