PENAMPANG: Communities from several villages here yesterday joined hands to erect a stone on the Papar River bank as part of a global action and to send a strong message that the proposed building of a dam for water supply would adversely impact their lives.
Close to a hundred people gathered at Botung Luluba, about an hour by road from here, to renew their sense of solidarity at the 14th Annual International Day of Action Against Dams and For Rivers, Water and Life event, held in 27 nations on March 14.
The action is coordinated by International Rivers, an international NGO that supports community efforts worldwide to protect rivers and to gain meaningful participation in the decision-making process.
The communities of Kampung Bisuang and Kampung Kaiduan which will be affected should the Kaiduan dam be built, organised the local event
with support from the Task Force Against the Kaiduan Dam.
The day started with villagers and members of several NGOs including Partners of Community Organisations (Pacos), Green SURF (Sabah Unite to Re-Power the Future) and Indigenous Peoples’ Network of Malaysia (JOAS), selecting a large stone to erect a monument.
Participants then collected small river stones to mark in the sand the words “Hormati Sungai Kita” (Honour Our Rivers), the theme for the global celebration.
Kampung Bisuang Tagal (community-based fisheries management system) Committee head, Joannes Jikuil said villagers along the upper reaches of the Papar River were worried about plans to construct a dam for Kota Kinabalu’s water supply.
“Although nothing much has been said recently, we are concerned that the project may proceed.
“Our lives depend on the river. This is where we catch fish, and though some of us have gravity feed water systems, we still use the river for cooking and drinking.
“There are many types of fish here, with the most famous being pelian.
We also have two types of prawns here,” he said, adding that there was a need for villagers to understand the importance of keeping the rivers clean and unpolluted.
Sabah Fisheries Department’s Papar district head Mohd Tahir Ahmad, who attended the programme with several staff, said there were six tagal initiatives along Papar River, and attributed the success of the system to the villagers. — Bernama
He said the community-based fisheries management system, which included zoning to close parts of the river for fish harvesting during certain periods, had enabled the villagers to continuously get food supply. — Bernama