BAJAU cowboys, the Tamu Besar grand market, and the knowledge that Kota Belud is on its way to becoming a main rice producer are some of things that the folk of the west coast district of Sabah take pride in.

But in recent years, the increasing incidence of floods have kept the townsfolk less pleasantly preoccupied.

Floods have been a regular nuisance in the district since a magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit Ranau, Sabah in June 2015.

The silt and debris that the quake churned up on the highlands in Kundasang, where Mount Kinabalu sits, were washed downhill, with sediments flowing into the Kadamaian, Tempasuk and Abai rivers and making them shallower.  

The sediments have now trickled into the smaller tributaries where thousands of villagers build their homes.

A worsening problem

Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) geologist Dr Felix Tongkul said flash floods were becoming more common as the rivers’ ability to cope with rainfall was reduced along with their depth.

“The rivers are now unable to cope with the huge amount of rain spilling down from Mount Kinabalu.

“The catchment area surrounding the mountain has also degraded due to the reduced vegetation cover, making it tougher for the higher ground to absorb rainfall,” he said.

This year alone, Kota Belud recorded 70 incidents of flash floods, four of which were major deluges that necessitated the evacuation of many households.

The District Office records that the frequency of floods has increased to four times a year post-2015 from once a year before the earthquake.

Kota Belud has a population of 60,000, and half of them live in low-lying areas that are vulnerable to floods.

Salleh Abin of Kampung Tanjung Pasir Labuan said the water reached up to his chest during the most recent flood.

“Luckily, all our cows and goats survived the ordeal. Perhaps they had taken shelter inside the houses built on stilts,” he said.

Salleh said floods occurred in the village of some 70 households because of a small river nearby that was directly connected to Tampasuk River.

Ghaffar Sadin, 58, of Kampung Linau said floods would sometimes occur even when there was no rain,  while it took less than 20 minutes of rain for the water levels to rise.

“Look at the river, it used to quite deep. But the sand washed down from Mount Kinabalu has made it shallow.

“The village gets flooded even when there is no direct rainfall – because there could be rainfall up on Mount Kinabalu and the water would flow into our river here,” he said.

Breaking rice bowl

A major concern is that the constant flooding will slow down or even halt efforts to transform Kota Belud into a major “rice bowl”.

Almost all of the district’s padi fields were submerged in water during the last flood.

“If the situation continues, it will affect planting and harvesting,” said Mustapha Sakmut of Kampung Sungai Kesapang.

“Kota Belud produces 25% of the country’s padi and the recent disaster has definitely seen to a lower yield in Sabah this year.”

The federal government plans to develop the district into one of four rice bowls in the country, the other three being Batang Lupar in Sarawak, and Rompin and Pekan in Pahang.

The federal government has allocated RM360 million to this purpose mproving the local drainage and irrigation system.

There are 8,500ha of padi fields and about 3,900 farmers in Kota Belud.  

A drop in the ocean?

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Abdul Rahman Dahlan has said that the federal government would expend via the Economic Planning Unit a total of RM27 million for short-term flood mitigation projects to increase the depth of Kadamaian river.

However, work may only commence during the dry season next year.

Rahman said the projects would be implemented in two “packages”  and were expected to be completed in four years.

Package 1 will see work to construct a flood ban, stabilise the riverbanks, and deepen the rivers in Kampung Kaung Ulu, Kampung Tambatuon, Kampung Siasai-Kampung Gunding, Kampung Menuggui, Kampung Sembirai Senorob, Kampung Lingkodon and Kampung Kaung Ulu, which are upstream of Kadamaian River.

“For package two, I have instructed the District Officer and the Drainage and Irrigation Department to send their men to the Economic Planning Unit office next month to brief us what needs to be done,” said Rahman Dahlan.

“During this time, we hope the residents will stay patient and be prepared to leave their homes each time there is a big flood,” he said.  

Kota Belud Integrated Agriculture Development Area director Salmah Labulla was not available for comment.– December 24, 2017.