KOTA BELUD SEWERAGE PLANT DIALOGUE

PLANT……The sewerage treatment plant.

By : DAP MEDIA

THE DIALOGUE set up by the Police Kapayan Head quarter on the 21st September in the RELA hall in Kota Belud town to discuss with the villagers from Kg Kota Belud, Kg Gunding, and Kg Menunggui concerning the objection and refusal for the contractor to enter into the work site was attended by some one hundred people.

The small hall was jumped pack and among them were the Sabah DAP Kota Kinabalu Member of Parliament Hiew King Cheu, Edward Ewol Mujie, PAS KB secretary Matubis Bin Jumdot and the PAS State Publicity secretary Hj Ag Laiman Bin Hj Ikin.

The police was represented by the Deputy State Commissioner, Tan Kok Liang and other senior police officers. The Kota Belud Member of Parliament Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan and the Usukan assemblyman was seated in front to listen to the complaints from the villagers.

The issue came from a JKR project constructing a sewerage treatment plant in the kampongs which is in its final stage of construction, and it is just a short 300 feet of pipe line to be laid along the road leading to the kampongs where the sewerage treatment sits to complete the project. The treatment plant is only 30 meters away from the nearest kampong house, and it is only 50 meters away from the river.

In the dialogue, the fears on the adverse effects which will be caused by the sewerage treatment plant were brought up, and JKR was questioned on the logic why such a foul and smelly installation is plugged into the kampongs here and not any other places. The impact on the environment will be heavy and the suffering of the kampong folks is unaccountable. For a start, there were already four times flooding due to the construction work here.

There are some 500 people staying in and around the treatment plant and their conclusion is to reject 100 percent on the sewerage treatment plant. The people said they will not allow the workers to continue the work, even though a new verification study is to be made and pass to them. They demanded a better solution to the problems.

DIALOG….The dialogue set up by the Police Kapayan Head quarter at RELA Hall, Kota Belud.

MP Hiew and Edward wanted to express their views and suggestions in the dialogue, and were refused the chance to speak even they had stood up. The participants were saying that the organizers scare of them and did not allow them to speak.

Hiew said after listening to the dialogue and the feeling of the people and he commented that the people should be given the right to protect their livelihood and well being. It is their right to protect their home and no to be poisoned by the foul biogas which will flood their villages.

The foul gas can go as far as five kilometers away. Furthermore the treatment is only 50 meters away from the river bank and there is no guarantee that the equipment in the treatment will not failed or spoiled, and there will be a good chance that the untreated foul water will overflow and get into the river to cause contamination all the way down the river where some people are still depending on the river water for their daily use.

It is obvious that the whole planning of this sewerage treatment plant was not planned properly and given due consideration to the kampong folks. It seems like a 'bulldozed through project', and that is why the people here are angry and deeply affected.

- Sabahkini