KOTA KINABALU – The approval given to the contentious Papar Dam project has disappointed nearby villagers and environmental groups, possibly costing Warisan in Saturday’s state polls.
After years of objections, caretaker chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal on September 1 said the RM3 billion dam project will proceed to ensure continuous water supply.
Taskforce Against Kaiduan Dam (Takad) representative Diana Sipail could only voice her dismay.
“The residents in Ulu and Hilir Papar in Penampang. Papar districts and villages along the Papar river are very disappointed and saddened by Shafie Apdal’s statement that the dam project will continue.”
She said since the dissolution of the state assembly, the Warisan leadership in the village has been spreading misinformation.
“We were told that the dam project is still being discussed because the blueprint has not been submitted. The local community has also gotten misleading information and pressured to not ask about the project.
“Why did the chief minister announce that the project will continue but hide important information from the public? We still do not have transparency about the project, only party propaganda.”
She said there has been no environmental impact assessment (EIA) report or any independent study done on the project.
She added the villagers and the indigenous community had hopes that the state government will reverse its decision and cancel the dam.
“But if the Warisan government and the chief minister whom we previously supported and voted for betray our rights and land, we will bring our struggle to the federal level and even internationally, including taking legal action.”
‘Don’t ignore us’
Save Papar River Committee representative Jackly Likinsim said the authorities are ignoring the people’s protests against the project, adding that it will erode their support in the coming polls.
“It is bewildering that the leaders and authorities are not willing to consider alternatives. Why spend so much for a project that will destroy lives, damage our lands and the environment?”
He said villagers are hoping for a dialogue session with those in charge of the project, including political leaders, but the wait has been in vain.
“There is also no concrete and definite explanation of the project’s status and details, such as its exact location. We have got so much contradictory information when we ask the authorities.”
The Papar hydro-electric dam was originally proposed by the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government. But the Warisan-led Sabah government that took office in 2018 decided to proceed with the project, after changing the site from Penampang to Ulu Papar at Mondoringin.
Other alternatives
Previously, geologist Professor Felix Tongkul from Universiti Malaysia Sabah said direct water intake reservoirs was a cheaper and more practical solution than having a dam.
He said reservoirs would only cost a fraction of the reported RM3 billion needed for the Papar dam.
“Such reservoirs will not destroy the natural biodiversity heritage in Ulu Papar nor change the natural flow of the Papar river.”
He said if the flow of water in the river is impeded by a dam, it would result in soil erosion and saltwater intrusion, posing a risk to the nearby population, due to induced micro quakes from the extra water pressure in the area.
Felix added the dam was in the wrong place to begin with.
“There is no such need to build a dam there given that the amount of rainfall in the Ulu Papar area is among the highest in the state – more than 3,000mm a year.”
Instead, he said such dams are best built in areas such as Kudat where rainfall is lowest.
Kg Bisuang villager Monica Petrus, who lives near the dam site, said the area is supporting the livelihoods of more than 2,000 people.
“If Warisan cares about us natives, please review the proposal to build the dam.
“Whichever government governs Sabah, the dam will remain an issue. We will continue to protest and defend our rights.” – The Vibes, September 21, 2020
