Ban on building houses in flood-prone areas

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Rasinin Koutis

KENINGAU: New Assistant Rural Development Minister Rasinin Koutis has ordered a ban on the construction of houses in flood-prone areas for the safety of the residents.

As such, he said the village administration including the Village Development and Security Committee and village heads, as well as government agencies such as the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) were required to monitor the situation.

“We do not want the residents to face difficulties each time there is a flood, and (we) do not want any untoward incident to happen to them. (In fact,) floods can also disrupt the learning process of schoolchildren,” he told Bernama after visiting flood victims in Kampung Senagang, Keritan Laut and Kauran yesterday.

Four villages here – Kampung Senagang, Kampung Ulu Senagang, Kampung Keritan Laut and Kampung Kauran – have been inundated with flood waters following continuous heavy rains from late Sunday afternoon until Monday.

Raisin said permanent wall retainers would be erected along the river banks of  Sungai Senagang to prevent the overflowing of flood waters.

“I have also requested the DID to come out with a detailed (working) paper on the cost to rebuild the damaged infrastructure due to flood in the Senagang area before I forward it to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal,” he added. – Bernama