Detailed report being prepared to determine emergency allocation for Pensiangan disaster - Arthur

NABAWAN - A detailed report is being prepared to determine the emergency provisions needed for the recent disaster in the Pensiangan area near here which left about 500 residents stranded.

Pensiangan MP Datuk Arthur Kurup said the report was being prepared by the Nabawan District Disaster Management Committee together with the Public Works Department (JKR), and would be submitted to the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) in the Prime Minister's Department (PMD) for further action.

The Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had so far agreed to approve emergency allocations for road maintenance work and to rebuild a damaged bridge along Jalan Panabaan-Pensiangan here.

"The provision follows the landslide incident that occurred on Sept 5 and affected the residents of Kampung Salinatan and the surrounding areas to be because the road in question could not be passed by all vehicles.

"However, the second wave of the disaster occurred on Sept 21, affecting nine villages, namely Kampung Kabu, Saliliran, Siatu, Simohong, Karampalon, Babayasing, Dobolon Sibangali and Pangaran.

"Therefore the allocation we requested from the ICU before was not enough, so we once again preparing a detailed report to determine the required allocation," he told reporters after closing the Kembara Sains Borneo Series 2 programme here today.

On Wednesday (Sept 27), the Sabah Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department together with government agencies and NGOs, carried out a mission to deliver 10.45 tonnes of food aid using a helicopter to residents in the Pensiangan area after access to the villages was cut off due a landslide on Sept 5.

At the same time, Arthur said that JKR was carrying out works in the affected areas to ensure that the road could be used by the public.

"I am also grateful to all parties, especially the government agencies that helped a lot, including sending aid to people affected by the disaster," he added. - BERNAMA