Scrap dam plans, activists urge Sabah govt

 

The Papar river as seen at Mondoringin, one of the sites being considered for a new dam.

PETALING JAYA: Two grassroots movements in Sabah have objected to the construction of a dam in either Papar or Penampang after the state government announced it is conducting feasibility studies.

In a joint statement, the Taskforce Against Kaiduan Dam (Takad) and Save Papar River (SPR) urged the government to rethink its plans and consider alternatives.

Takad chairman Diana Sipail said geologist Felix Tongkul had proposed options such as coastal reservoirs and water storage facilities that were both cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

She said International Water Association members Amarjit Singh and Lim Sin Poh had also proposed that coastal reservoirs be built rather than dams, a suggestion that had been backed by PKR vice-president and former Putatan MP Awang Husaini Sahari.

“They stated that building coastal water reservoirs would be a cheaper alternative for the Sabah government to solve the state’s water problems,” Sipail said.

The proposed dam would bring great harm to the environment and the indigenous people in the area who also depend on natural resources for their sustenance, she said.

On Friday, chief minister Hajiji Noor announced the state was conducting a feasibility study for a dam in Papar or Kaiduan as a long-term solution to Sabah’s water woes and to attract investors.

“The study is to establish whether to build the dam in Papar or Kaiduan (in the neighbouring Penampang district),” he said after launching a water treatment plant in Papar.

The groups said an engagement session on the feasibility study had been “hastily” held between representatives from state government agencies and residents of several villages on Thursday.

However, they claimed the villagers had been told that they were not allowed to pose any questions during the session and that they would face “consequences” if they did. - FMT