It means that the Likas Dah Yeh Villa flood last night was avoidable if the gate and pumps were working normally.
The pumps have been partially restored and are now draining away the flood water.
The pumps have been partially restored and are now draining away the flood water.
Kota Kinabalu, Sunday, 14 September 2025
The disastrous floods at Likas Dah Yeh Villa and surrounding areas last night were avoidable if both the flood prevention gate and pumps were functioning properly with sufficient electricity supply from Sabah Electricity.
My visit this morning to the Likas gate and pumps, built in late 1990, confirmed that both the gate and pumps were not functioning as usual, partly due to insufficient electricity supply to gate and pumps.
I appreciate the immediate presence of senior officers from the relevant ministry and department who took immediate action to urgently solve the operational problems on site.
But, beyond today’s problems, the prevention of floods at Likas involves all three factors:
- Immediate repair, and subsequent upgrading, of the Likas flood gates and water pumps,
- Cancellation of any proposed reclamation of the Likas lagoons, which were designed and reserved as flood mitigation ponds in the 1980s,
- Disallow any hill cutting of Likas Conservation Ridge (hills) because any hill cutting at Likas Ridge along Tuaran Road will inevitably cause a rapid surge of rain water down hill to the residential areas.
Cancel the fireworks
To show empathy with floods victims at various parts of Sabah, I strongly call on the government to CANCEL the fireworks on Malaysia Day, two days from now. I can imagine the people of Kota Kinabalu, particularly the flood victims, who have to over hear the loud bangs of fireworks watched by VIPs when people are still trying hard to recover from yesterday’s floods.
There are already so many celebrations costing millions of ringgit each starting with the extravagant 2025 New Years Day “count-down.” The savings from the cancellation of the fireworks can be channelled to flood victims instead.
Yong Teck Lee
President of SAPP
Resident of Kota Kinabalu
Ex-Likas Assemblyman (1985 – 2000)
Ex-CM (May 1996 – May 1998)