SANDAKAN: Residents of Lorong 39, Taman Indah Jaya, here, were cut off after continuous heavy rain triggered a landslide that blocked their only access road, raising urgent safety concerns during the monsoon season.
Sandakan MP Vivian Wong said she immediately coordinated with relevant agencies after receiving complaints from residents whose daily movement had been affected.
“The situation posed a real safety risk, especially with continued rainfall, and immediate action was necessary to prevent further danger to residents,” she said, in a statement, Tuesday.
The landslide occurred when prolonged rain weakened the slope, causing a large volume of soil to collapse onto the road, cutting off vehicle and pedestrian access, and raising fears of further soil movement if left unattended.
Wong said emergency mitigation works, funded through a special allocation from the Prime Minister, began in mid-December and were completed by the end of the month.
The project involved the construction of a gabion retaining wall to stabilise the hillside, along with the removal of accumulated debris to restore basic road access.
She said the works were carried out as an urgent response to slope instability, aimed at preventing further collapse and ensuring residents could move in and out safely during the rainy season.
With the completion of the retaining wall and road clearance, Wong said access has since been restored, significantly reducing the risk of another landslide following heavy rain.
