Kota Kinabalu - Tanjung Aru Water Village

There are many water villages in Kota Kinabalu. In fact these are one of the first things you notice about KK when you arrive. They are essentially squatter villages built over waterways and the seafront. As in many cities in developing countries, squatters are very much a part of the local population. 

I visited one of the villages commonly known as Tanjung Aru Water Village. It is built on the seafront - sandwiched between Tanjung Aru Resort and Sutera Harbour. The Government of KK have not tried to evacuate the population here so far, and I hope they never will. In fact the Government have even helped to provide piped water and electricity to the villages, which is commendable.

Despite what most people think of as squalid and unhealthy, squatter areas serve a basic purpose of shelter for those who cannot afford normal housing, and over time these have developed into communities with their own culture and identity. There are even those who choose to live here not out of necessity, but because this is their lifestyle choice. The water villages are fascinating places to visit.

Sutera harbour is a stone's throw away.

The village is separated from the mainland by a canal.

The houses are built on stilts and connected with wooden plankwalks. Notice the TV antennas and satellite discs - necessities of modern life even at the squatters.