Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the project, which will be jointly implemented by the state government, through the Sabah Energy Commission, and the private sector, will be launched in October and expected to be completed in 2027.
“With the implementation of this project, we (the Sabah government) can resolve the water issue for the long term because when it is ready, this dam can channel water up to 6,000 million litres per day (MLD),” he told reporters after officiating the ground-breaking ceremony for the capacity extension project of the Kogopon Phase Two Water Treatment Plant (LRA) here today.
Also present were Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Shahelmey Yahya, who is also the Works Minister, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
Hajiji said the Sabah government is also conducting a feasibility study on the Papar Dam or Kaiduan Dam as another long-term measure to ensure water shortage will no longer be a bane for the people of the state, in addition to meeting the needs of investors.
Hajiji also expects the issue of water supply from Tuaran to Universiti Malaysia Sabah to be resolved by the end of this year once repair works involving the Telibong LRA are completed.
The Chief Minister also pledged that the state government's commitment to overcoming water woes in the state would include Sandakan, Tawau and Lahad Datu.
Elaborating on the Kogopan Phase Two LRA project, Hajiji said it would involve upgrading the capacity from 40 MLD to 80 MLD, with work set to begin this month and completed in 2026.
He said that the RM379 million upgrading project will, apart from benefiting 160,000 consumers in Putatan, Kinarut and Lok Kawi, also increase water supply coverage to cater to industrial needs, especially the Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal and Sabah Agro-Industrial Precinct under the Sabah Development Corridor until 2040.
The Chief Minister also instructed the Sabah Water Department to strictly monitor the progress of the project to ensure it is completed according to schedule.
Meanwhile, Armizan, who is also the Papar Member of Parliament, hoped that the contracted chosen for the Kogopan Phase Two LRA project would be fully committed to completing the project within three years since the water supply issue in Papar, especially Mukim Kinarut, is critical.
Armizan also pledged to take a short-term approach towards overcoming the water woes affecting residents in this district, including sending water tankers to the affected locations and looking into the possibility of drilling tube wells in areas identified in cooperation with the Department of Mineral and Geoscience Malaysia. -Bernama
