KOTA KINABALU – Sabah First Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin has given his assurances that the welfare of the villagers residing near a proposed dam would be looked after.
Bung Moktar, who is also the state infrastructure development minister, said the government has not decided whether to build the dam, as planned under the third phase of the Kota Kinabalu Water Supply Plan, but said the project overall will proceed.
“We will have to proceed with the project for the long term welfare of the people,” he said after raising the subject of water supply disruptions which have hit several areas on Sabah’s west coast recently.
“If there’s a need to relocate people, firstly we will meet and talk with them. If they need to be moved, then we will provide them new residences, provide electricity, water, and leverage their status from that of a village to an organised townships and even provide them lands for them to cultivate.
“They won’t end up with nothing,” he said.
Bung Moktar said there are only around 30 families from one village that may need to be relocated.
Bung Moktar hoped the water supply problem would not be politicised, adding that 30% of Kota Kinabalu residents are facing water shortages, while nearly half of all Sabahans also do not have a reliable water supply.
The construction of the dam, at a cost of around RM3 billion, will ensure the supply of water in many parts of Sabah’s west coast for up to 100 years.
Bung Moktar however said if the dam is built in Mandalipau, Tawau, or further downstream, which was the location earlier mooted by the then Warisan-led Sabah government, it would only last for up to 60 years.
In contrast, if the dam is built in the Ulu Papar area (upstream) where it was initially proposed, the water supply would last for up to 85 years tops, he said.
“But the source of river is still the same which is the Papar river,” he said.
The Sabah Water Department has already surveyed the land and it is up to the government to decide when the project would commence, he said. – The Vibes, January 22, 2021
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