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A Papar ratepayer and another from Luyang have expressed concerns about the pedestrian hazards posed by the exposed sections in the covered drains around Kinarut town and Damai Plaza.

The first individual had good cause to speak out about this danger. 

He twisted one of his ankles and sustained a cut on one of his palms, when part of a metal grill placed over a drain in the town gave way unexpectedly.

His Luyang counterpart, on the other hand, wanted to ensure that a similar mishap did not befall those who unwittingly stepped into a hole in the pavement at the commercial centre. 

She hated to imagine what might happen if some expectant mum, senior citizen or young child were to find their foot trapped in the hole. 

A drain ran beneath the pavement in question, according to her.

These individuals hoped that the local authorities would do more to look after the safety of those going on foot at both locations. They provided Hotline’s attention with location of these ‘danger zones’. 

This information was separately forwarded to the Papar District Council and City Hall.

A spokesman for the former agency said an inspection was made of Jalan Kinarut Township, shortly after it learned about what had happened to the complainant.

The Council’s staff found that some of the struts on one of the grills, covering the small drain between the road and the five-foot-way, were damaged, according to him.

“Our contractor’s set about fabricating new grills to replace any which had deteriorated or were not sitting properly over the drain,” he said.

“He and three of his workers returned on Monday and replaced eight of these fixtures along 69metre span of Jalan Kinarut Township.”

When asked how often the covered drains and walkways around Kinarut and Papar were maintained, the spokesman said this was done as and when it became necessary to do so.

“We generally rely on feedback from the public to work out when these amenities need to be attended to.

“It also depends on whether the repairs are going to be a ‘big’ job or a ‘small’ one.”

He said the former was subject to constraints on the funding and manpower needed to carry out the work.

“The ‘small’ jobs can usually be accomplished within a matter of hours.”

Nevertheless, given the present concerns about pavement-related irregularities, he said, the Council’s staff had been asked to be more mindful of any damage to the walkways around its rating area.

City Hall has asked its personnel to be equally proactive when it comes to maintaining the pavements and covered drains around Kota Kinabalu.

A spokesman for the agency’s Engineering Department said its personnel checked on the five-foot way around the Damai Plaza block, nearest to the roundabout between Lorong Pokok Kayu Manis and Lorong Damai Point.

“They confirmed the presence of a hole in the pavement behind the shops,” he said. “The walkway had been built over the drain servicing the building.”

“Our technicians sealed the damaged portion of the walkway with cement on Tuesday.”

He said the common areas, including the pavements and drains, under City Hall’s jurisdiction were attended to as and when it warranted.