Villagers reminded to take precautions against fires
TAWAU: Beware of fire hazards to avoid a repeat of the 2013 fire which destroyed 21 homes at Kg Jati, Kinabutan, here.
The village residents in the Apas constituency were reminded to take safety precautions against potential fires in the area, given the close proximity of homes.
Tawau member of parliament Datuk Christina Liew gave the reminder during a dialogue with the village community recently. Safety and the risk of fires faced by the villagers were among the social concerns raised.
According to them, the firefighters could not do much in the 2013 Incident as there was no fire hydrant at Kg Jati.
Liew said she would bring the village’s need for at least six water tanks to the attention of the State Ministry of Public Works.
“I will be meeting the minister soon to discuss a few issues,” she said.
Kg Jati has 130 households with a population of about 700 who are salaried workers, self-employed or jobless, mainly from the B40 income category.
Liew also advised the people to maintain environmental cleanliness by ensuring proper management of garbage collection and disposal so as to prevent any outbreak of diseases like dengue.
In response, chairperson of the Village Security and Development Committee (JKKK), Lela Jamaluddin said they would organise gotong royong activities to clear the surroundings.
Meanwhile, the people raised bread-and-butter issues, saying they are poor and struggling for economic survival as many are unemployed due to lack of skills or old age.
Lela appealed to the Tawau MP to assist the single mothers and fathers in the village, apart from food baskets which had been delivered to them.