Sabah weighing redevelopment plans, including land reclamation, after Sandakan fire

SANDAKAN, April 20 — The state government is looking at several proposal on how or whether to rebuild Kampung Bahagia in Batu Sapi after a major fire which destroyed almost 1,000 houses early yesterday morning.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said that several proposals have been made including one for land reclamation to support future housing development.

“We have several plans, but I believe it will take one to two weeks before we receive a detailed report on the total number of fire victims and how to proceed.

“But there is a plan to redevelop the area into a proper, recognised settlement for Kampung Bahagia, Sandakan. However, I cannot provide detailed plans yet until we receive a full report from the Sandakan district Disaster Management Committee,” he said when speaking to reporters after a visit to the site.

He said there were also proposals, including land reclamation to allow for future housing development, but this will involve considerable costs.

“We will also look at recommendations from the Sandakan Municipal Council on how best to resettle those affected.

“At this stage, these are preliminary plans. We will first wait for the report from the district disaster management committee, including any alternative proposals they may suggest. From there, we will take further action,” he said.

Historically, this area was a UNHCR refugee settlement, but now some 70 per cent of residents are non-Malaysians, and only about 30 per cent are Malaysian citizens.

“However, assistance will be given to everyone affected by the fire.

“For now, aid will be given to all heads of households — RM2,000 each — regardless of whether they are citizens or non-citizens. We are a caring government, and assistance will be given to all,” he said.

As initial aid, each affected head of household will RM1,000 in special assistance from the state government and another RM1,000 from Yayasan Kebajikan Sabah.

Additional aid has also been provided by Pusat Zakat Sabah and Perbadanan Baitulmal Sabah.

The fire, which broke out yesterday morning destroyed nearly 1,000 homes, making it one of the largest incidents to hit the settlement.

A full report on the number of victims and destruction is expected within one to two weeks.

In the meantime, six temporary evacuation centres have been opened to house those displaced by the fire.