KOTA KINABALU – An activist has welcomed Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin’s proposed Sabah water commission, but urged the deputy chief minister to acknowledge the fact that companies that cause river pollution “thrived” when Barisan Nasional led the state.
Development upriver is causing pollution, said Save Papar River committee member Jackly Likinsim, adding that Bung Moktar, who is also state BN chief, should be aware of the culprits.
“Bung Moktar should ask himself what happened during the BN era, and how the forests and rivers were manipulated by companies and their activities.
“He should also know about the logging, and the planting of oil palm and durian by companies owned by BN cronies.”
On the water commission, Likinsim said the proposal shows that Sabah is not facing an acute water shortage.
“Instead, there will be better and more professional management of water supply in the state.”
Last Friday, Bung Moktar mooted a state water commission and the appointment of concessionaires to handle supply operations as part of efforts to resolve Sabah’s water woes.
He said 22 water treatment plants in Tamparuli, Kinabatangan, Tawau, Kunak, Keningau, Tenom, Nabawan, Sook, Beaufort, Sipitang and Kota Belud are in urgent need of repairs, pointing out that they have to suspend operations whenever rivers’ water quality worsens, especially during continuous downpours.
This has led to widespread water cuts, he said.
Another thorny issue is non-revenue water (NRW), which saw the previous Parti Warisan Sabah administration allocating RM171 million in grants to tackle.
NRW is defined as water wasted due to old piping and constant leaks. The issue costs the state government up to RM300 million each year.
Bung Moktar last week noted that old pipes, some of which were installed in the 1940s, exacerbate Sabah’s water problems.
He previously said the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah administration has no choice but to proceed with the construction of a dam in Kaiduan, near Penampang, to overcome the water shortage in the state capital here and adjacent districts.
The dam will see only one village, in Ulu Papar, submerged, he said, while assuring the 30 families living there that their welfare will be taken care of if they agree to the plan.
The contentious dam, whose embankment would measure 200m and cover 522ha, has seen sustained opposition from locals and activists, including Likinsim.
Villagers have said it will lead to their homes, farms and ancestral land being submerged. – The Vibes, January 26, 2021
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