KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s Penampang district has again been hit with serious flooding, the fourth time this year.

       Reports of trees falling on rooftops including one in Kg Tombovo Ketiau Putatan and a house by the river on the brink of collapse due to erosion were recorded following the downpour.

       This has prompted villagers to repeat their call for quick and sustainable mitigation methods to be implemented, especially at development sites.

       Housewife Rosie Mijoh, 59, said she noticed that floods have been occurring too often over the past couple of years, especially when road widening, housing and other projects started to increase.

       “Is this how we Penampang folks are going to live for the rest of our lives? Preparing for floods after every downpour?” she asked, adding that floods also occurred in January, May and June this year.

       Developers, as well as government officials, should make sure that drainage and irrigation are well thought through before each project is approved and even starts, she said.

       “Now, every time it rains heavily for hours, we have to start packing some essentials and moving our furniture and vehicles to higher ground,” lamented Rosie, who lives in Kg Divato.

       Her neighbour Junin @ Bibi Sitawa, 85, who lost her husband many years ago, said at this stage of her life, with her children all grown up, all she wants is to live peacefully without having to worry about natural disasters.

       The floods affected dozens of villages including Kg Divato, Torikon, Kampung Tuavon, Kampung Kambau, Kampung Dabak, Kampung Nambazan, Kampung Soboong Kolopis, Kampung Tindai Kolopis, Kampung Inobong, Kibabaig, Kampung Gunsing and Penampang Proper, Taman Donggongon and the St Michael’s Secondary School

       Kg Torikon villager Albert Francis, 50, wants developers who fail to comply with proper environmental guidelines to be fined and urged the authorities to seriously tackle Penampang’s flood issues.

       Mack Songkuban, who owns a car wash business in the district, is worried about the cost to repair and clean up his flood-hit premises.

       “We are faced with an economic slowdown and poor business turnover due to Covid-19 and now, more problems with floods,” he said.

       “Is there really nothing the government can do to solve this problem and in future, come up with proper flash flood prevention means such as taking strict action against developers who do not comply with environment regulations?” he asked.

       The floods around Penampang worsened after midnight yesterday due to a five- to six-hour thunderstorm that began on Wednesday evening.