PENAMPANG: Penampang Municipal Council (MPP) President Noemi Dyena Johntren said the Penampang District Disaster Management Committee is on standby to respond to flooding this rainy season.
“The district disaster management committee is ready to handle any flooding incident that may arise,” she said when met recently.
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She also pointed out that every agency that have worked with the MPP has never failed to carry out their respective roles in the event of floods.
Noemi noted that while flooding remained a persistent concern in the district, the MPP is actively working towards a long-term fix.
“We are in the process of putting measures in place to address the problem,” said Noemi, without providing a timeline for completion.
On the matter of crocodile sightings reported in the district, Noemi urged fishermen and river users to exercise caution, particularly near waterways where warning signage had already been erected.
“If there is already signage indicating that crocodiles are in the area, then one must be careful and avoid going to the river during rainy weather or at night, because that is the crocodile’s natural habitat,” she said.
She said that no crocodile attacks had been reported in Penampang so far, though official reports from residents regarding crocodile sightings had been received.
“The majority of crocodile activity in the district is concentrated along the Moyog River,” she said.
She said crocodiles from neighbouring districts could enter Penampang waters by travelling through interconnected river networks, making vigilance necessary even in areas without a recorded history of attacks.
On street lighting, Noemi said the council had identified dark road stretches across the district and is in the process of installing government-supplied solar-powered street lights.
“Solar poles and solar lamps will be deployed along roads identified as poorly lit,” she said, without giving any specific locations or completion dates.
