Major effort to clear clogged drains
PENAMPANG: Major ‘community effort' or ‘gotong royong' will be carried out by all Village Community Management Council or Majlis Pengurusan Komuniti Kampung (MPKK) in the district to clear up the clogged drains in their respective areas.
This is part of the preparation on flood prevention for the coming monsoon season, said Pritchard Gumbaris, political secretary to Penampang member of parliament, Datuk Darell Leiking.
Contractors appointed to clear up all the drains in the district are also instructed to do the same and advised to restructure their work schedule according to need and the current situation, said Pritchard.
“All drains must be cleared of debris by May 15,” said Pritchard.
According to him, the instructions to the MPKK and contractors were given after a recent meeting with the district office, municipal council, contractors, Public Works Department (PWD), Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), MPKK chairmen from Moyog and Kapayan, representatives of the Kapayan and Moyog elected state representatives and the UPPM from the two constituencies.
“I informed them that even though the monsoon season, which is said to start at the end of April, may bring flooding, we must be prepared to do what we can to prevent that from happening.
“We must also learn a lesson from the big flood in May last year and the weather forecast for this year.
“We should tackle this issue proactively instead of waiting and only springing to action after the flood,” he stressed.
The District Office, Municipal Council, DID and PWD have been tasked to assist the UPPM and MPKK in the cleaning and clearing process, said Pritchard, who chaired the meeting.
Pritchard also conveyed Darell's message to the community leaders and contractors on the need to clear the drains in the villages and the maintenance of roads under PWD in the district all year round because the weather can be unpredictable.