KOTA KINABALU: The issues surrounding the proposed Kaiduan dam will be discussed at the next state cabinet meeting, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.
He said Deputy Chief Minister and State Infrastructure Development Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan had already explained the rationale behind the construction of the controversial dam.
“We will look into it, and we will discuss it in (the state) cabinet,” he told reporters after the launching of the Barisan Nasional (BN) Youth Job Fair at the Likas Trade Centre, here yesterday.
Musa was asked to comment whether the state government had done enough to explain to the people the rationale or benefits of the RM2.8 billion proposed Kaiduan dam to be built at Ulu Papar, where villagers from the surrounding areas have protested since it was first raised by the state government back in 2008.
Pairin had recently said the people must understand and accept the fact that Sabah would soon face a shortage of clean water supply in a few years, and the State government was trying its very best to ensure the problem was resolved.
Pairin was also quoted as saying that it was unfair that only negativity was seen in the controversial dam, and not the overall picture and the objective of constructing the dam as a pre-emptive measure, saying that they should see that the proposed Kaiduan Dam was only a logical consideration with the purpose of benefiting the whole community in Sabah.
Musa said: “They (state government) have done that but I think they (villagers) have been misled by the opposition as usual.”
The proposed Kaiduan dam will supply water to the districts of Kota Kinabalu, Tuaran, Penampang, Putatan and Papar up to 2050 but there are concerns that the project would impact the ecosystem of the Papar river and the Tagal system (a community-based fisheries management system) initiated by several villages along the river. — Bernama