A HOME THAT COLLAPSED

COLLAPSED.... Two more People's Assistance Project Houses (PBR) collapsed at Kampung Lupak Meluas Laut.

By : REBECCA CHONG

TWO MORE People's Assistance Project Houses (PBR) collapsed at Kampung Lupak Meluas Laut, here, last Sunday, barely one month after the first incident.

One of the two houses that collapsed recently  was unoccupied and the other was occupied by a family of six.

Nisfa Habibulah, 42, lived in the house with her five 3 to16 year-old children. She said at around 9 in the morning she heard shouts from her neighbours to get out of the house.

She dashed out with her children in the nick of time and watched in horror as her house collapsed. She said the adjacent house that had collapsed earlier could have caused her house to collapse.

“We have lived here for over a year and I never thought such a situation could happen. Anyway, I’m glad that we are all safe, though many of our household items were lost in the sea,” she said, adding that she and her family would move back to their previous home for now.

There were speculations as to what caused the house to collapse. Some say the house had been vandalised, while others argue that the stilts that supported the house were faulty.

Arora Abdul Sani, who lives opposite the unoccupied house, said she worries for her family at night because strong winds and high tide would make her home wobble.

"We have no choice but to live here. I'm a housewife and we don't have a fixed income. I hope the authorities concerned would monitor the situation here quickly," said the mother of three.

Meanwhile Kampung Lupak Meluas Laut Village head Mandu Albab blamed the contractors for the collapse.

Batu Sapi Parliamentary Liaison officer Kong Nyuk Thau urged the Board of the Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (FELCRA) and the Rural Regional Development Ministry, the two departments responsible for the PBR project, to monitor the construction of PBR houses and contractors involved to ensure all houses are safe for the residents.

Sekong Assemblyman Datuk Samsudin Yahya said the rebuilding of Nisfa's home was being looked into but he also urged the residents not to rely solely on the government for damage repair.

"The government has provided these houses so that people can live comfortably. However, the residents should not rely on the government alone, but must take their own initiative to maintain their houses and make them safe to live in," he said during a visit to the site last Sunday.

The residents have cause to feel insecure as four houses built under the PBR and one under Poor People Housing Project were reported to have collapsed. (Insight Sabah)