ACTIVISTS can oppose the construction of the RM3 billion Papar hydroelectric dam as much as they want, but it is for the good of the masses and not for individual profit, said Sabah Infrastructure Development Minister Peter Anthony today.

He said the people of Papar had already agreed to construction, including those living downstream.

“We love our state and the cabinet has decided that if this is going to be good for the masses therefore, it must be done.

“Although many might not like it, the overall idea is we need to make decision for the good of all people,” he said after visiting the Kogopon Water Treatment Plant in Papar today.

Anthony said the dam would be a long-term fix to the anticipated acute water shortage in Sabah west coast districts that will bite as early as 2024.

He said he was also aware of the opposition from state cabinet members, not just from activists, but dismissed this merely as personal opinion, referring to the Sabah Assistant Minister for Law and Native Affairs Jannie Lasimbang who recently urged the government to stop building the dam.

Lasimbang was previously a leader of the Pacos Trust group, which played a role in the opposition of dam project, fearing it would take away lands belonged to indigenous Sabahans.

At present, water supply operations at Babagon Dam in Penampang were in a state of constant disruption and water supplies had to be shut down to allow maintenance work to be carried out, he said.

This, Anthony said, would mean widespread water shortages on the West Coast for hours, sometimes days.

He added Papar was already facing a water shortage and the Water Department had to stop all operations in the district each time a saltwater intrusion happened in local rivers.

“This is why the State Cabinet has decided to proceed with the construction of the Papar Dam, a continuance of the project introduced by the previous state government called the Kaiduan Dam.

“We will carry out the work professionally, engage the affected villagers and come to an arrangement on how to compensate them,” he said.

The Papar hydrodam project will sit at a secluded location adjacent to Kampung Mondoringin in Papar.

Once completed, it will be able to produce 1 billion litres a day and generate 100 kilovolt ampere (kVA) electricity.

Anthony said the dam design has already been finalised but construction will only commence once all compensation claims had been settled.

Anthony also dismissed suggestions to build a desalination plant because it was too costly, while the idea of adopting the water evaporation technology to produce clean water has yet to be proven viable at present. – July 8, 2019.