KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government needs to allocate at least 10 per cent of the People's Housing Projects (PPR) units available in the state as temporary accommodation to meet the needs of those facing emergencies, especially fire victims.

State Community Development and People's Wellbeing Minister Shahelmy Yahya said this policy should be implemented in every district so that there are vacant units provided for fire victims before their houses are rebuilt.

"We do not have welfare homes to place (fire victims) permanently or temporarily for a long-term. If there are vacant units available in the PPR, they can be used for emergency cases.

"For flood disaster, the relief centres (PPS) are sufficient, and when the flood recedes, the victims can return to their respective homes. Unlike fire victims, it takes a longer period to rebuild their homes.

"Thus, with the initiative to provide temporary accommodation at the PPR units, it would help fire victims who are mostly from the lower-income families (B40) to stay in safe and comfortable settings," he told Bernama.

Shahelmey, who is also Tanjung Keramat assemblyman, said the Sabah government had spent RM1.23 million to meet the needs of fire victims housed at the PPS.

Commenting on fire incidents at the water villages in Sabah, Shahelmey said most of the structural foundation of the houses are temporary timber structures, which at the same time invite the risk of large fires.

He said most of the settlements on the water were also built on government reserve land, with residents building houses without meeting the specifications set by local authorities.

The latest water village fire incident occurred in Kampung Tanjung Aru, here, on May 25, which destroyed 33 houses and left 216 victims homeless.

Meanwhile, Sabah Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (JBPM) director Md Ali Ismail said a total of 768 houses in water villages throughout the state were destroyed in fires for the past five years involving a total of 6,144 victims.

Of the total number of houses, 181 were recorded to have destroyed in fires from January to May this year, affecting 1,448 villagers, he said.

Md Ali said Sabah JBPM also estimated that over RM21 million losses were incurred due to fires in villages in the past five years, of which RM5 million were losses suffered during this year alone.

Water villages have existed for a long time in some coastal areas in Sabah with the distribution of houses now estimated at 22,000.

-- BERNAMA