RM4bil hydroelectric dam in interior Tenom a long-term solution to Sabah’s water woes, says Hajiji

KOTA KINABALU: A RM4bil hydroelectric dam will be built in Sabah’s interior Tenom district as a long-term solution to the state’s chronic water supply problem, says Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

The Chief Minister said the groundbreaking for the dam, to be built in Upper Padas, will be carried out in October.

He added when the project is completed, scheduled in 2027, the dam would be able to supply up to 6,000 million litres daily (MLD) of water to the users.

“This is a joint-venture project between the state government through the Sabah Energy Corporation and the private sector,” he said after launching the Kogopon Water Treatment Plant Phase II project in the Papar district on Friday (Aug 25).

“The dam has a capacity to supply water from 80 to 100 years,” he added.

Hajiji said the state government was also currently conducting a feasibility study on the Papar or Kaiduan Dam as another long-term solution to the water woes and to cater for the needs of investors.

“The study is to establish whether to build the dam either in Papar or Kaiduan (in the neighbouring Penampang district),” he said.

On the Kogopon Water Treatment Plant, he said, this would involve RM379mil upgrading works under its Phase II development to boost production capacity up to 80MLD.

Works would commence this month and are expected to be completed in August 2026.

He added this would benefit some 160,000 consumers in Papar as well as areas south of the state capital like Putatan, Kinarut and Lok Kawi, among others.

Hajiji said the project would increase water supply coverage to cater for industrial demands, particularly the Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal and the Sabah Agro-Industrial Precinct under the Sabah Development Corridor up to 2040.

“It would help to address water shortage in the southern west coast,” he said.

The Chief Minister said he had also instructed the state Water Department to strictly monitor the project’s progress to ensure it is completed on time.

“This is what is being done by the government on the short and long term basis to overcome the water supply problem in Sabah, particularly Kota Kinabalu.

“I do not want to see the project delayed and the people end up being denied water supply,” he said.

Earlier, Hajiji was briefed that the Kogopon Water Treatment Plant presently has a production capacity of 40MLD and that the upgrading project would increase production by another 40MLD.

Among the project scopes were the construction of a new treatment plant (40 MLD capacity), balancing reservoir with a capacity of 10mil litres, three distribution tanks in Kimanis, Kampung Nagapas (Papar) and Kampung Ketiau (Putatan) and an upgrading of the water intake.

On the water supply problem in Tuaran up to Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Hajiji said it was expected to be resolved by the end of this year once teething issues affecting the Telibong Water Treatment Plant II project were addressed.

He also assured that the state government is making every effort to address the water woes including in the east coast Sandakan, Tawau and Lahad Datu districts.

Also present were Deputy Chief Minister III cum state Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali, local assemblymen and senior government officers, among others.

Meanwhile, Armizan said the Kogopon Water Treatment Plant was planned in 2013 and approved for implementation in 2019 under the fourth Rolling Plan of the 11th Malaysia Plan.

It was supposed to be completed last year, he said.

“Unfortunately, it was not implemented by the previous government. I’m not sure what the excuse is.

“And the delay has resulted in the cost going up from RM312mil to RM379mil.

“This is the actual reason behind the major water supply disruption in Papar up to Putatan presently. This was a legacy issue,” he said.

Nontheless, Armizan urged the contractor appointed for the project to complete within the stipulated time frame, adding this was no ordinary project as it was critical for the people’s wellbeing.