RM200m project long over but still no water, says YB
Published on: Saturday, April 18, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Matunggong Assemblyman Datuk Jelani Hamdan took Infrastructure Development Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan to task for not providing answers over why water problems in Matunggong persist although there is a dam and water treatment plant in the area.He said Pairin would be perceived as a weak minister-in-charge of water development in Sabah."The problem of water supply is crucial in Kudat, including Matunggong, as the villagers have to look for gravity water by digging into government land belonging to Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB) to create wells.
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"This bad situation has been happening for a long time now. In fact, this problem should not arise as the Federal-funded RM200-plus million Milau treatment plant has long been completed and there is an existing dam in my constituency."In fact, a water engineer briefed me during my visit twice to the plant last year that the plant's water capacity is sufficient to cater to meet the demand in Kudat and Matunggong. And yet, there is still no water for over a year now provided by the plant. I want to know why this is happening," he said, when met after the end of the State Legislative Assembly sitting. In a previous sitting, he said his written question on the same issue was answered, stating that the dam is ready to operate and the villagers should start applying for water pipe connection in order to get treated water supply.Unfortunately, there is still no water channelled to the villagers' houses.
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He said the villagers currently have to rely on rainwater, gravity water and river water as their source of water for their daily routines."Again I submitted a written question during the recent sitting of the Assembly and Pairin did not answer my question which I am not happy about.
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"Pairin should answer my question, either publishing it in the printed media or any other avenues as I am answerable to the villagers in my constituency over the perennial water problem," Jelani said.He also suggested that Pairin go down to the ground and check for himself the current water woes in Kudat and Matunggong to get a better understanding of the situation.Jelani thanked Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman for agreeing to consider alienating some lands within the Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB) Pinawantai area's 909 hectares to the villagers."Although SLDB claimed those lands belong to the State government, I believe the lands belong to the villagers based on their native customary rights over the lands."While waiting for any resolution or settlement of the issue, I am appealing to SLDB to alienate several acres from the land for public use so we can create a cemetery for the villagers and build a surau," he said.Jelani said Minister of Special Tasks Datuk Teo Chee Kang gave a weak answer to his question over the land issue concerned by stating that he (Teo) had answered the question in the previous sitting.Fortunately, he said Musa stood up and gave a satisfactory answer to the land in question."Musa gave his commitment to consider alienating Block 7 (within the SLDB land) in Kg Pomonsukan and some lands in Kg. Langkon Baru for the villagers in my constituency."I am thankful to Musa for his concrete answer," he said.Meanwhile Jelani said the 'Magahau Festival' for the Rungus community has been officially recognised by the State Government as one of the festivities celebrated by the natives in Sabah.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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