Committee inspects flood mitigation project in Sandakan
SANDAKAN: Members of the Highway and Public Utilities Committee, have made their final visit to inspect the widening and realignment works along Sungai Anib in Sandakan.
“Our term expires on 1st October 2020 and this will be our final visit to look into the progress of this flood mitigation project,” said Taren Sunil Manoharan, the Head of HPUC, a unit under the Sandakan Municipal Council.
Present with him were his fellow HPUC members Bryan Chang, Peter Soo and Chia Chee On. A team from the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) led by Henry Chong and representatives from DID’s contractor were there to brief and update the HPUC team on the progress of the job.
“The project started last year but due to the covid-19 pandemic there were issues that resulted in delays. It is currently 15% complete and the contractor will be doing his best to try to complete the project within the stipulated period,” said Taren.
The Sungai Anib area is a flood-prone area and one of the reasons is that the river was narrow and shallow. Added to the problem were the many twists and turns that slowed down water flow. There were also many trees along the river side which resulted in a lot of branches and leaves falling into the river and causing blockage.
“The project work includes widening, deepening and realigning of the river. The sides of the river will also be strengthened with concrete to prevent collapse. We are confident that when the job is completed, flash floods will be a thing of the past for those living in this area,” said Taren.
The HPUC Head and his fellow members took the opportunity to express their thanks to the residents of Sandakan for their cooperation in helping HPUC identify and solve numerous problems that have been affecting Sandakan District for quite some time.
“We appreciate the feedback, information and even complaints that we have received from the public. They helped us improve our service to the community,” summed up Taren.