KOTA KINABALU: Kapayan assemblyman Dr Edwin Bosi has once again reminded the government to give serious attention to flood mitigation effort in Sabah and in the west coast region, in particular.
“I really hoped the government will allocate enough funds in the budget for flood mitigation when the 2015 state budget is announced in November,”he said.
Dr Bosi is also urging the authorities concerned to ensure that the building by-laws are strictly adhered to by the developers.
“We have seen what flooding can do to our environment and community. The flooding will not go away and it is up to the government to mitigate and reduce the negative effects as much as possible. There is no point having beautiful houses and furniture only to be ravaged and destroyed by flood water. It also disrupts everything, including the daily life of the people,”he said.
Dr Bosi, who is DAP Sabah secretary, said the government must also be concerned about the hill slope development, which during the rainy days, causes massive pollution of the river. If an environment impact assessment (EIA) has to be conducted, it must be seen to be done before any work on the land can be approved.
He therefore hoped that the government will increase the budget allocation on natural disasters so that assistance can be provided to the people affected by landslips, floods, fire and so forth.
Meanwhile, Dr Bosi inspected two landslip areas at Lorong Hilltop 1, Luyang and Kampung Kobusak, Kapayan.
“I have made the necessary reports and requested for assistance from the Director-General of City Hall and the District Officer of Penampang respectively.