The flood situation at Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School in Jalan Damai.
Many houses were inundated at Dah Yeh Villa.
A four-wheel-drive vehicle ended up in the drain at flood-hit Bundusan Road.
KOTA KINABALU: Hours of torrential rain yesterday afternoon left several areas around the city and Penampang under up to three feet deep floodwater.
In Taman Foh Sang, Dah Yeh Villa and Lido, some houses and shoplots were flooded as rainwater overflowed from drains, while traffic was also affected as vehicles waited in line to drive through the floodwater.
The heavy rain started around 1pm and it was reported that Taman Foh Sang, Dah Yeh Villa, Lido, Kolombong, Inanam, Bundusan road, Likas and Beverly Hills area were flooded.
Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Wanita chief Melanie Chia went for an inspection around Dah Yeh Villa, Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School, Taman Foh Sang, Luyang Phase 11 upon receiving complaints from the public.
Chia said the areas have experienced serious flash flood in 2006, and the heavy rain yesterday has brought forth another bout of flash flood up between two and three feet deep.
Chia also found that the parking lots in front of the shophouses at Taman Foh Sang were flooded, and even rats have escaped from their holes in search of refuge.
Meanwhile, the road was inaccessible at Luyang Phase 11 as the water was up to two feet deep.
She pointed out that the people have been suffering from flash floods for a long time but the government has yet to resolve the issue.
“This is basic livelihood problem. The government should not put it aside, let alone talk about major development projects.”
Lido area was also affected and vehicles were seen travelling slowly across the flooded road.
Major traffic congestion caused by the flash flood was also reported at Kolombong, Bundusan Road, and Tuaran Road.
Penampang was one of the worst hit districts as many areas were under deep floodwater as rivers overflowed.
Some of the badly affected villages were Kibabaig and Nambazan which were rendered inaccessible to vehicles. Others included Kolopis, Tindai, Tuavon, Ramayah, Limbanak, Kituau and Sugud as well as Moyog.
Some of the housing areas in Penampang experienced flash floods after just 30 minutes of the rain and the social media were all abuzz with photographs of the situation in the district as well other areas.
For those residing along the Moyog River, they had to grapple with rapidly rising waters by about 4pm as they rushed to salvage as much of their belongings as possible. Cars had to be transported to higher ground and in some cases, livestock too.
Moyog assemblyman Terrence Siambun who was worried about the situation, visited Kolopis and Tindai but was not able to get into Kibabaig and Nambazan where the water levels were too high.
He said that in November 2011, it was announced that the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry would implement a flood mitigation plan for Penampang.
Last May, he personally met the District Officer, William Sampil and was assured that the plan would “start very soon”.
However, yesterday’s floods clearly showed nothing had been done.
According to him, telephone calls made to the District Natural Disaster Operations Room at 4pm and 5pm went unanswered.
“The mitigation plan must be implemented now. Natural disasters strike at any time and we cannot just sit and wait for something terrible to happen before taking action.
“Don’t let the people in Penampang suffer,” he said.
The floodwater only subsided as the heavy rain eased after 4.30pm.