KOTA KINABALU: Two senior national leaders and an assemblyman from Kota Belud are expected to hold an in-depth discussion tomorrow to find solutions to the flooding problem that has been plaguing the district.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Rahman Dahlan, Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak and Sabah assistant agriculture and food industry minister I Musbah Jamli are expected to attend the meeting.

Rahman is the Kota Belud MP while Salleh and Musbah are the state assemblymen for Usukan and Tempasuk respectively.

The meeting will be held at 11.30am at the Kota Belud district office.

Kota Belud is recovering from its second major flood in three months which displaced more than 1,800 residents since early Monday.

The Sabah Civil Defence Force said all the evacuees had returned home after water levels receded.

The district’s worst flood occurred in October, where more than 2,500 people were evacuated.

River sedimentation and land surface runoff, caused by the devastating earthquake that hit nearby Ranau in June 2015, were among the factors blamed for the severe floods in Kota Belud.

During the state legislative assembly here in November, it was announced that the Sabah government had approved a RM50 million allocation for a flood mitigation project along Sungai Kedamaian which runs through Kota Belud.

The assembly was told that flood mitigation projects worth RM20 million for Sungai Gurong Gurong, which also flows through the district, would also be implemented soon..

Sabah Pakatan Harapan chairman Christina Liew criticised the Sabah government yesterday for the delay in implementing the flood mitigation projects.

The Sabah PKR chairman and Api Api assemblyman also criticised the absence of Rahman, Salleh and Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia, who is from Kota Belud, during the latest emergency.

Meanwhile, Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman had said on Tuesday that the state government had mobilised the necessary resources to assist the flood victims.

He said the State Disaster Relief Committee had been activated to assist those affected, including relocating them to shelters and handing out assistance such as food supplies and basic amenities.

Sabah PH chairman slams delay in flood mitigation projects

Kota Belud flood worsens, 1,829 victims displaced

Flood evacuees start returning home in Kota Belud as water levels recede

Musa Aman mobilises resources for Sabah flood victims