Rep urges Putrajaya to approve RM350mil project to tackle floods in Beaufort

2026-02-27 - 11:34

As of noon today, 1,462 people from 513 families have been evacuated to relief centres in Beaufort because of flooding. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA: A Sabah assemblyman has urged the federal government to expedite the approval of a proposed RM350 million flood mitigation project to address recurring flooding in Beaufort. Klias assemblyman Isnin Aliasnih said the project is crucial for residents who face flooding every year, noting that Beaufort has already been hit four times in the first two months of 2026. Isnin attributed the frequent flooding to geographical factors, such as Beaufort’s location in a low-lying basin and catchment area, which causes it to receive run-off water from districts like Keningau, Tenom and Tambunan, and leaves it vulnerable to high tide. “Last year, Beaufort experienced 20 (incidences of) floods, including one major deluge. The town is synonymous with flooding, because the land is at sea level. “Beaufort is among the 10 districts that receive heavy rainfall throughout the year. It is inevitably struck by floods whenever there is heavy rain,” Bernama reported him as saying. Isnin, who is also an assistant minister to chief minister Hajiji Noor, said the Sabah government has submitted several proposals to Putrajaya through its drainage and irrigation department, including deepening Sungai Padas and dredging its shallow river mouth, as a long-term solution. He said the mitigation project would also involve increasing the number of river mouth channels at Sungai Padas from two to three, and constructing an embankment along the riverbank. He also proposed constructing the Landayan-Lumat bypass as an alternative route, as the two existing main routes – Jalan Bingkul and the Limbawang bypass – are frequently cut off by rising waters. “Currently, there are only two main routes in Beaufort. When Jalan Bingkul is submerged, traffic shifts to the bypass. But now, both routes are flooded, leaving people with nowhere to go,” he said. The new 8-9km alignment would cost about RM45 million. As of noon today, 1,462 people from 513 families have been evacuated to relief centres in Beaufort because of flooding.