KENINGAU: The 2.2-kilometre of unpaved road which serves as the main route for residents in Kampung Bunga Raya, near here, will be upgraded immediately, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.

He said the allocation to upgrade the road was estimated at RM10 million.

"The allocation includes the cost of building three bridges along the road as well as other related works. This project will be implemented as soon as possible because this road is important for the residents, especially students," he told reporters after visiting several roads in need of upgrading in the Keningau district here today.

Bung Moktar, who is also Sabah Works Minister, said there were other roads in the district that had not been paved and needed to be upgraded, but studies need to be conducted first.

"There are roads like in Patikang Tengah, stretching 9 kilometres, that need to be upgraded. However, the road is often flooded. Therefore, I ask the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) and the Public Works Department (JKR) to work together to conduct a study to solve the problem.

"We don't want to build roads only to face other problems such as floods. We want to solve the problems simultaneously... so I want a study to be done before the tender for the project is carried out," he said.

Meanwhile, he said the Sabah Water Department had been instructed to purchase four additional water pumps to address the water issues in Keningau.

-- BERNAMA