No concrete proof Pan Borneo Highway causes floods

KOTA KINABALU: Claims of the Pan Borneo Highway project causing flash floods in Sabah are not based on concrete evidence and the effects of the floods are not at a serious level, said Assistant Works Minister Datuk Limus Jury.

“The design of the project has taken into account engineering details and fulfills the criteria of the Drainage and Irrigation Department (JPS) to ensure that the roads would not worsen flood issues in the affected areas,” he told the State Assembly on Wednesday.

Kapayan assemblywoman Jannie Lasimbang expressed her shock upon hearing the news and inquired whether a detailed study had been carried out on the matter as her village in Kampung Nampasan and many other villages here, have been experiencing flash floods since the start of the Pan Borneo project.

Limus replied by saying his ministry, the Public Works Department (JKR) and the Pan Borneo team are collecting details on flood-hit areas affected by the project, and will take another look on the designs to determine whether there is a need to add more kalbut or drainages to solve the issue.

He said the government is always monitoring and will revise the design of the drainage system based on current conditions and feedback from the people.

“According to data, there are many factors that contribute to flash floods including waste and rapid development that does not take into account existing drainage systems. We have several initiatives planned to overcome the flood issue including cleaning the drainage system in the whole of Sabah,” he added.