Erosion forces families to flee
Floods erode riverbank, homes damaged
KOTA KINABALU: Several families in Tuaran have been forced to move out of their homes near a river after floods eroded the riverbanks.
A villager, Nur Mohd Zaky Husaini, 37, said four houses were affected with two washed away by the strong currents.
“Actually, this erosion started about eight years ago. We’ve told the authorities and asked for help from the local leaders, including our assemblyman, but there has been no follow up to our concerns,” claimed the father of two.
He said their land in Kg Kegayungan used to be quite large, but over time, became smaller due to erosion.
“A house was washed away a couple of years ago, and on Oct 5, another one was destroyed,” Zaky said.
“Now, another is on the verge of falling into the river, and ours are just about a metre away from being the next victim,” he said, adding that a few families moved to higher ground or are sheltering at relatives’ houses elsewhere.
“Those involved are all my relatives. Some are pensioners while others do odd jobs. Some, like me, are civil servants,” said Zaky.
He said the main dirt road leading to these houses have also been destroyed.
“We have no means to go back and retrieve what we have left in the houses,” he said, adding that they have lost everything and are in dire straits now.
“These are tough times, the economy is bad. How are we supposed to buy houses or land to rebuild our homes?” Zaky asked.
For the time being, he said they can only depend on the welfare provided by their relatives.
“But how long can we depend on them? We need to find a new place to live and if we don’t have any choice, we might have to bunk with our in-laws,” he said, adding that they were hemmed in by the uncertainty brought about by Covid-19 and the conditional movement control order.
“For the time being, we just have to find a proper place to live without burdening others,” Zaky said, hoping that some form of assistance will be given to him and his relatives by the government to start over.
Many areas in Sabah were flooded due to continuous downpour on Monday and Tuesday.
These areas include Kota Belud, parts of Kota Kinabalu, Penampang and Putatan, while many parts of the state also saw flash floods.