BEAUFORT: The Irrigation and Drainage Department (JPS) will soon stop operating its flood water pumps here as rising river levels have made pumping efforts ineffective.
District Council Executive Officer Mohd Ainol Mohd Dun said residents and traders in Pekan Lama Beaufort, Jalan Lo Chung, the MDB Ramadan Bazaar and surrounding areas have been informed of the decision.
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He advised traders to prepare, pack up and move their goods and valuables to safer places.
The town is experiencing one of its worst floods in decades, with waters entering the town centre — something that has not happened on this scale since 1998.
Previously, JPS pumps would automatically channel floodwater out of the town and back into the Padas River during flooding. However, due to the current high river level, the pumps can no longer function effectively.
“We hope Ramadan bazaar traders and business operators in the old town who are forced to close their premises due to rising water will remain patient,” he said.
One trader said the scale of the flooding shows how serious the situation is, describing it as the return of major floods not seen in decades.
“We had to stop operating because areas like Dataran Bagandang and the tamu grounds have been flooded,” he said.
The floodwaters are believed to have risen rapidly following continuous heavy rain upstream in Keningau and Tenom, causing the Padas River to surge.
Business activities in the old town and along Jalan Lo Chung have come to a standstill as floodwaters inundated areas.
Floodwaters also reached the petrol station area in Bekalau and overflowed at the “Limau” roundabout, submerging roads.
Several roads have been cut off, and many homes in nearby villages have been inundated.
