Ministry ready to repair flood damaged houses in Beaufort and Tenom

The Rural and Regional Development Ministry is ready to help repair flood damaged houses in Beaufort and Tenom in Sabah after assessing the losses. Its minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said the damaged houses would only be repaired after the situation in flood-stricken areas returned to normal. He said from past experience, repair work would not be done as soon as floodwaters receded as there could be a second wave of floods like in Kedah last year. Agencies like the National Security Council will help provide food supplies to the victims, he told reporters after opening the Kota Belud water treatment plant here today. Several states were hit by massive floods late last year, including Sabah (Beaufort and Tenom) which were experiencing the third wave of floods. The RM36 million plant, which was completed last year, could supply 22 million litres of clean water per day for 6,500 people in about 50 villages in the district. Urban Well-being, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan was present. Meanwhile, Shafie said the ministry had approved RM500 million for rural projects in Sabah this year, particularly for Kota Belud, including RM400 million for rural electricity supply and RM61 million to upgrade rural roads and repair a multipurpose hall. "We want to connect electricity from the power grid to rural areas in Sabah in order not to hinder the development of infrastructure projects in rural areas," he said. Mohd Shafie said RM158 million was allocated for infrastructure and facility projects in Kota Belud, including upgrading of rural roads, last year.