New quarry worries Babagon folks
Published on: Monday, October 20, 2014
KOTA KINABALU: In the wake of the recent flooding, the Kampung Babagon community voiced their concerns over what seems to be a new quarry being set up merely 700 metres above the Babagon dam in Penampang.According to Angkatan Gabungan Rakyat Asli Sabah (Agaras) President, Cornelius Frederick @ Michael FJ Sulip, the villagers and those in neighbouring areas fear that the quarry activities may cause damages to the nearby dam that could lead to another catastrophic flood.He said the villagers contacted Agaras to voice out their concerns regarding the setting up of the new quarry, which saw machineries being brought in and the land being cleared since January. They want to know if the dam would be affected in any way.
ADVERTISEMENT
"We are not trying to stop anyone from running their businesses. We only want to know if everything is in order, especially when the quarry begins operations."We fear that since the new quarry is located less than one kilometre away from the Babagon dam, activities that involve explosives and heavy machinery may lead to vibrations that could damage the dam and cause it to burst."A minor case of overflow at the dam was enough to cause such a massive flooding within a short period of time. What more if the dam were to crack?" Frederick said, citing the recent Penampang floods.He said this during a press conference held in the city on Sunday, a day after Agaras visited Kampung Babagon to meet with the concerned residents.
ADVERTISEMENT
According to Frederick, there should also be a buffer zone surrounding dams to prevent quarry activities, among others, to be set up within a stipulated area.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
ADVERTISEMENT
"We want to know whether the necessary paper work, approval and change of status had been done," he added.
