Posted on October 26, 2017
By Jenne Lajiun, Borneo Post
Major dredging works needed to be carried out at Kadamaian River in order to address the rampant flooding caused by the river in the surrounding area.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) natural disaster research centre director, Professor Dr. Felix Tongkul, said that presently the government is already doing some river dredging at the Kadamaian River but having only a minimal effect.
According to Dr. Felix, the base of the river has been filled with sand originating from the mountain following the 2015 earthquake.
“These are very high quality sand originating from Mt Kinabalu. These are better than the sea sand used for construction. The stock pile of the sand in the river is enormous,” he said.
He urged for barges to be utilised to remove the sand from the base of the river.
“There must be sufficient barges used and these must be swift in removing the sand,” he said, adding that work had been somewhat difficult due to the sheer size of the Kadamaian River.
“If this matter is not addressed and resolved, the flooding problem in Kota Belud will not cease,” he said, adding that some two to three metres of sand had collected on the base of the river.
On the recent rock fall at the Mesilou, Dr. Felix said that this was part of the mountain’s stabilisation process, adding that after the earthquake, the area concerned was no longer stable.
“Imagine the rocks hanging at a steep hill. Sooner or later, it has to fall. The place will remain unsafe until all these have fallen,” he said at a dinner event to mark the launch of the Natural Disaster Seminar 2017.
Source: Borneo Post
