PENAMPANG: Twenty-one public buildings in the district have been gazetted as temporary relief centres, said Penampang member of parliament Datuk Ewon Benedick.
"This will allow villagers to relocate to these facilities during floods, instead of the Penampang Cultural Centre here.
"In Penampang, while many villages experience floods, there has been only one evacuation centre — the Penampang Cultural Centre. Now, residents can relocate within their own villages.
"I have personally witnessed the challenges of rescue teams trying to reach villages from the cultural centre during the night and against strong flood currents, like what happened in June and July this year.
"This is why we agreed to gazette evacuation centres within the villages as part of our flood preparedness plans," Ewon said after handing over canopies to vendors in Donggongon here.
The Meteorological Department has forecast that the northeast monsoon will peak at the end of this month, bringing significant rainfall, including in Sabah.
The state is expected to receive between 20 and 40 per cent more rainfall than usual.
Penampang saw the worst flooding in its history in July, affecting thousands and causing extensive property damage.
Ewon, who is entrepreneur and cooperatives development minister, said the Penampang flood mitigation project is underway.
"I brought Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof earlier this year to inspect the Sungai Moyog flood mitigation project, which has been delayed due to several factors, including residents along the project route being unwilling to relocate.
"This has affected the implementation of Packages 1 and 3. I did this to secure his commitment to support the next phases, Packages 2 and 4, so that they can proceed.
"In Donggongon, after years of delays, the river widening and drainage project finally began late last year, extending from the fire station to Kampung Hungab.
"This was delayed due to the need to relocate utilities, which required funding."