KOTA KINABALU, July 13 — Kg Likas Lama, the oldest village in Likas, needs proper status to ensure the villagers of several generations can continue their lives without worrying their houses might be demolished by relevant authorities.

Darau assemblyman Azhar bin Datuk Matussin (Warisan) said currently the Kg Likas Lama, which has been inhabited for over 100 years since in the 1920s, had been gazetted as a sewage reserve.

He said Kg Likas Lama is the original village of Kg Likas known as "Ta’dia” which means "Below” in the Bajau Sama language.

"The village is located about 50 metres from Masjid Jamek in Kg Likas and the irony is even though it has not been gazetted as a village, facilities such as water and electricity supplies have been provided to the villagers, legally for a long time.

"But what worries me is that Kg Likas Lama might be listed as one of 285 squatter colonies in Sabah recently identified by the State Government through its committee addressing Squatter Colonies.

"That is why I am requesting the State Government to take quick action to give proper status as a village to Kg Likas Lama so that the many houses in the village area are not included in the list of colonies to be demolished,” he said when debating the Supplementary Supply Bill 2024 at the recent State Legislative Assembly sitting.

According to him, he had requested the cancellation of the sewage reserve gazette through a letter to the Chief Minister on June 22, 2020 and he extended the letter to the Director of the Lands and Surveys Department on the next day on June 23, 2020 for appropriate action to be taken.

On the floods on June 30, he said it was the worst in 30 years in Darau constituency which affected 700 families in several villages such as Kg Rampayan Laut, Kg Tobur Rampayan, Kg Seradan and Kg Dambai.

He said the flood was not the common flood that the villagers used to face before.

"Every time it rains heavily, there is always flood happening in my constituency, Darau.

"But the recent flood was very unusual as it affected 700 household heads (KIR) who incurred losses in terms of property damage, loss of personal belongings and cleaning expenses after the floodwater subsided.

"For this reason, I would like to remind the State Government to take extraordinary action to resolve the problem. If the Government still takes an indifferent attitude, then the result will remain the same,” he said.

Azhar said the Government needs to take drastic action of addressing the problems arising from the drainage system in the villages involved.

Secondly, he said there is need to build a larger bridge in Jalan Sulaman, Kg Rampayan immediately, and thirdly, he proposed that the Sungai Rampayan be widen and deepened after the Kg Rampayan bridge.

"If these three proposed measures are not implemented, the flood mitigation of Sungai Rampayan, under construction, will not achieve its real objective,” he said.

Azhar urged the Government to include the 700 KIR flood victims in Darau to be given the RM1,000 monetary aid that was also announced for Penampang flood victims by the State Government on July 1.

He reiterated his call to the Government to carry out dredging works to deepen shallow area of Sungai Likas river mouth starting from the Fisheries Department in Kg Likas right up to an area near a helipad at Menara Kinabalu building.

He said such work is vital to facilitate more than 100 full-time fishermen from Kg- Bangka-Bangka, Kg likas, Kg. Rampayan, Kg Kalansanan and Kg Darau to go out fishing.

"Over the past few years, Sungai Likas river mouth has become shallow up to the level of three-feet which makes it difficult for fishermen boats to pass through.

"It was found by the fishermen, that one of the causes the river become shallow is because the riverbed is filled with plastic waste, waste products and thickr mud.

"During low-tide the fishermen could not return home due to the shallow paths and they have to drag their boats between one to two kilometres to go to a jetty. Some have to sleep in their boats and endure various security threats,” Azhar said. — Daily Express