SABAH FLOODS: MCMC RESTORES 14 TELECOMMUNICATIONS TOWERS

KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), in collaboration with telecommunications companies, has successfully restored 14 out of 41 telecommunications towers in several areas on the West Coast of Sabah affected by floods as of 10 am today.

MCMC in a statement reported that 27 towers remained non-operational.

"Out of the total affected towers, 34 were disconnected by Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) for safety reasons, while five are inaccessible due to flooded roads, and two towers experienced electronic equipment damage," the statement said.

MCMC said that 13 towers in Penampang had been restored, while 19 remained out of service. In Kota Kinabalu, one tower has resumed operations, with four more in the process of repair.

All three towers in Tuaran and one in Kota Marudu remain non-operational.

In a related development, MCMC reported that one of the five National Information Dissemination Centres (NADI) was also affected and temporarily closed.

"However, cleaning efforts are ongoing to ensure that the NADI centre in Kampung Sungai Damit, Tuaran can resume operations as soon as possible," MCMC stated.

The statement added that MCMC Sabah would continue to monitor the situation to ensure sufficient network coverage at the four relief centres for the convenience of flood victims.

"Based on quality of service (QoS) monitoring tests, no complaints related to coverage quality have been received at these relief centres so far," it said.

Last Sunday, after several hours of heavy rain from midday, flash floods hit Penampang and Sipitang, rendering many roads impassable, while areas in Kota Kinabalu and Penampang experienced power outages.

-- BERNAMA