PAPAR: Residents in Ulu Papar are still clinging to hope that the Government will scrap the proposed Kaiduan Dam project it has planned to implement in the area.
They are also still wating for answers from the relevant authorities as to their repeated requests for a dialogue on the proposed dam.
According to a representative from the Wakil Taskforce Against Kaiduan Dam, Mary Giun, they have, since hearing about the proposed dam project in 2009, requested for a dialogue between the government and the residents in Ulu Papar.
“But there has never been a reply to our numerous requests. In fact we sent another letter to the state Water Department last week to find out the status of the Kaiduan river but there has been no reply from the department,” she said when met at the launching of the ‘Save Sabah Rivers Coalition’ campaign in conjunction with the International Day of action Against Dams and Rivers, Water and Life here yesterday.
Giun said the residents are wondering if the project will be implemented even though the former Moyog assemblyman and Penampang Member of Parliament Datuk Donald Mojunting and Tan Sri Bernard Dompok have protested against it.
Meanwhile when asked to clarify on the allegation that residents in Ulu Papar had denied entry to some experts hired to study the river condition in the area, Giun said it was because the ‘experts’ had used fake identification documents.
Deputy Chief Minister cum Infrastructure Development Minister Tan Sri Pairin Kitingan was reported recently as saying that villagers living along Sungai Kaiduan had prevented some experts from carrying out studies at the river.
Giun when commenting on the matter said that the incident occurred in October last year where the residents did not allow these ‘experts’ entry to Sungai Kaiduan as they did not have proper credentials.
“We have in fact asked the Water Department which the ‘experts’ claimed have sent them but was told by the department that it had not instructed anyone to conduct an environmental assessment impact (EIA) study in the area,” she pointed out.
“However it is still our hope that the Government would reconsider and scrap the proposed dam project for the sake of the people and environment in Ulu Papar,” she said.