PENAMPANG, Sept 13 — Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has ordered immediate repair works on the Penampang-Tambunan road after a landslide cut off access and endangered road users.
He stressed that the safety of the people was the state’s priority and directed that the road be reopened to two-way traffic as soon as possible.
Hajiji visited the site at Kampung Pogunon on Saturday after returning from Kuching, where he had attended an MA63 technical committee meeting with the Prime Minister and Sarawak Premier.
He was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister and Public Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya, Entrepreneur Development and Co-operatives Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick, Kepayan assemblywoman Datuk Jannie Lasimbang, and Moyog Gagasan Rakyat chief Datuk Ceasar Mandela Malakun.
The chief minister instructed the Public Works Department (PWD), the concessionaire, and other agencies to deploy more machinery and work around the clock to restore the road.
He also called on Sabah Electricity to immediately reconnect power lines that were severed by the landslide and said he would personally speak to the utility’s chief executive.
Sabah Water Department and Jetama were likewise ordered to ensure clean water supplies were restored without delay in the affected areas.
The State Disaster Management Committee will coordinate relief efforts with agencies, including the Welfare Department, to provide aid to affected families.
Initial findings showed the landslide was triggered by three days of continuous heavy rain, with 82.5 millimetres recorded in a single day. The rain left slopes unstable and caused a major collapse.
As of Saturday morning, 437 victims from 128 families were housed in five relief centres across Beaufort, Penampang and Tawau. One fatality was also confirmed after a house was buried in the landslide. — Daily Express
