If you live around Inanam or Kolombong, the Likas River flood project is no longer just a promise on a list. Work started in May 2026, and the stated completion date is 29 September 2028.
The project is worth RM125,000,000 and is expected to reduce flood risk for residents in the affected areas, Daily Express reported on 13 October 2026, citing Inanam community development leader Nickho Unui.
The hard part is that flood protection can still disrupt homes before it protects them. Nickho acknowledged that the project faces challenges involving the relocation of homes along the river corridor and in areas identified for flood retention reservoirs.
That is the point residents should watch most closely. Flood mitigation is meant to reduce damage to homes and livelihoods, but families asked to move need clear answers on timing, alternative housing, compensation and whether the relocation is temporary or permanent.
Jesselton Times reported on 9 October that the project covers the Kolombong and Inanam areas and is expected to benefit hundreds of thousands of residents by reducing exposure to flooding. The same report said Nickho had urged ministries, implementing agencies and local authorities to give serious attention to resettlement needs.
The project has been in discussion for several years. Nickho said efforts to move it forward began in 2023, and that the project received approval in 2024 before technical issues delayed the original schedule. Daily Express reported that he also welcomed an additional RM39,000,000 announced in October 2025 for Phase 2, covering the Rampayan River to Muara Numbak. Together, he put flood mitigation funding in the Sepanggar area at RM164,000,000.
For homeowners and tenants, the next useful update is not another political argument over who pushed the project. It is the relocation plan, the works schedule by neighbourhood and the channel for affected families to check their status.
- Project value stated: RM125,000,000 for the Likas River works.
- Areas named: Inanam, Kolombong and surrounding parts of Sepanggar.
- Timeline stated: started May 2026, completion scheduled for 29 September 2028.
- Watch point: homes along the river corridor and flood-retention areas may be affected by relocation.
Sources: Daily Express, Jesselton Times, Bernama.
