Eight teachers from the interiors of Nabawan and around the Talaan sub-district in Sabah had to be sent back to SK Talaan and other schools in two helicopters after the long Hari Raya break.
This was after roads and rivers in the area could no longer be accessed due to the recent heavy floods.
According to reports, the journey to the area would normally take three to six hours depending on weather conditions.
“However, the floods had damaged infrastructure such as roads and bridges and the teachers would have to walk up to 18 hours to reach their schools,” said Deputy Works Minister, Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup.
Nabawan is a district in the interior of Sabah with an area of 6,089 sq km located 17 km south of Kota Kinabalu.
On the suspension bridge to head to SK Nangkawangan and SK Layon here which was damaged by the floods, Arthur said repairs had been in progress over the past few days despite officials and workers facing constraints due to the festive period.
“It is expected that other repairs will follow in the near future. Despite facing the challenges and limitations, we will do our best to speed up all the necessary repair work,” he said.
The Federal government had reportedly provided emergency provisions to several villages in Nabawan that were badly affected by the floods in March involving the re-construction of bridges and maintenance of roads affected by the disaster.
Recent videos on social media showed school-going children using rafts and a zip line to cross the river in Nabawan because the suspension bridge, which is the main route for students, teachers and villagers, was washed away in the flood.
Pic credit: NST
