TAMBATUON DAM NOT NEEDED

FULL….One of the rivers near the padi field full of water for padi planting in Kota Belud.

By : DAP MEDIA

THE highly disputed proposed Tambatuon irrigation water dam issue has exploded among the public and politicians recently when this was brought up during the visit to the affected villages by the DAP national advisor cum Parliament leader Lim Kit Siang, and accompanying him were the KK MP Hiew King Cheu, the Sabah DAP chief cum state assemblyman Jimmy Wong Tse Phin and other Sabah DAP members.

The Kota Belud MP, Abdul Rahman Dahlan has again defended the proposed project on the irrigation dam which is supposed to be built up in the Kg. Tambatuon area in Kota Belud near the foot of Mount Kinabalu. The river that flows through this scenic kampong is Sungai Kadamaian, which is flowing towards the rice planting area on the low land.

He said in a statement made in his blog that the water from this dam is for the padi field and to increase the yield of the rice production. He had also said that the dam will help to reduce the poverty rate in the area. He stated various other reasons to support the construction of the water dam, example like in Kota Belud there are 25 thousand acres of abandoned rice planting field and these fields needed plenty of water for the planting of rice, and the few thousand of farmers can plant two crops yearly to produce two hundred thousand tons of rice. This can help Kota Belud to clear to be the poorest district in Malaysia.

Besides, Rahman said the dam can effectively reduce and control the flooding problem in KB and the river water flow during rainy season. It can be used for power generation and as water supply to supply the whole of KB and the dam site could be used as a tourism attraction spot too.

Sabah DAP advisor cum the KK MP Hiew King Cheu commented that Rahman’s statement is painting a nice picture, but what Rahman has not considered is the rights and the feelings of the people living in the proposed dam site in Kg. Tambatuon and also those people in the surrounding villages down the river.

In spite of all that, Rahman said there was a consultant who came and reported that Kg. Tambutuan is the best site for building the dam because of the minimum environment impact and very little disturbance to the life there. The immediate respond was a strong protest and rejection from the people. That has become a political issue now.

Hiew said the true fact is after his various visit to KB rice planting area with the information provided by the local rice planters, KB is an area never lack of water around the rice fields. The very reason is that there are no existing proper irrigation cannels, drainage system, piping work, water pump stations, and efficient management to get the river water up to and into the rice fields on higher grounds.

That is why there are twenty five thousand acres of abandoned rice field not being able to plant and produce rice. How can you plant wet padi while there is no water to flood the field?

The fact is that there are four big rivers surrounding the rice planting fields in KB, and there is always plenty of water flowing down from the hills, and including the water from Kg.Tambatuon. These rivers according to the people here had never gone dry even in dry season.

There is always enough water to wet the fields, and there is the possibility of planting two or three crops in a year without problem if done properly and managed well.

This can be done through proper drainage and irrigation system, and by the use of modern machines and techniques used by other countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, China, Taiwan, Japan, Australia and even India. Vietnam and Cambodia can produce vast quantity of rice for export to Malaysia, and so as India and Australia, why can’t Sabahan produce the same? Why should we continue to import our daily rice up to a staggering figure of over RM800 millions a year?

If the BN government keeps on insisting to build the irrigation dam in KB, and that had proven they have no idea on how to help the poor planters to get the water into their fields. The BN government doesn’t care for the wellbeing of the 2,000 or more people in Tambatuon.

“It is time to ditch BN and let PR to bring about progress in KB and specially to help the poor padi farmers” proclaimed one padi farmers who had suffered from no water and access road in his field.