PENAMPANG: The Sabah government is considering innovations that could help warn people about upcoming disasters, said state Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif.
"As far as I remember, there is such an innovation. We will find ways to implement it, and I will discuss it with the ministry's permanent secretary.
"Although this is under my ministry, it is also related to other ministries, the National Security Council, and others," he told the media after visiting flood-stricken Sekolah Menengah St Michael Penampang here.
Present during the visit were Sabah Education director Datuk Raisin Saidin and the school principal Jennifer Asing.
The district was caught by surprise when the four-hour rain had such devastating impacts on the people.
Residents have also described the disaster as the worst since the flooding in 1999.
In 2015, SMK Tamparuli, about 45 kilometres from here, emerged as the champion in the final of the Petronas All About Youth competition for their innovation in alerting people and preventing motorists from crossing the Tamparuli bridge when it was flooded.
During the visit to the school, NST spotted a presentation board for Shell that proposed a flood warning system for the people of Donggongon town.
It stated that the solution would involve inventing a flood detector inside a drain, with an ultrasonic sensor to detect trash and a piezo element to generate electricity through the pressure from pedestrians and cars that pass by.
The school, despite being one of the top schools in Sabah, is often flooded, hence disrupting the teaching and learning process.
Jennifer said that the Nxplorers Malaysia project, organised by Shell, was held in 2021.
She added that the innovation can be fine-tuned.
"If it were to be applied on a large scale, it would require massive funding," she added.
Meanwhile, Mohd Arifin, who is also the exco in charge of education, paid a visit to NST writer Roy Goh, who lives across from the school.
The former Sabah bureau chief said that he has known Mohd Arifin for almost 25 years, since the latter was a civil servant.
Roy, 54, was among the flood victims whose house was partially submerged and suffered severe damage to his electrical appliances.
Pic by Olivia Miwil
