YAN: The federal government has approved an allocation for the construction of four sabo dams in four states with the pre-construction process to begin by this year.
Deputy Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said the projects are in Sabah, Pahang, Terengganu and Johor.
"Besides the sabo dam project in Baling, Kedah which was approved earlier, this year we have received an allocation from the Economy Ministry to proceed with the construction of four more sabo dams in Negri Sembilan, Hulu Terengganu, Terengganu, Pahang and Sabah.
"The projects will cost between RM30 million and RM144 million each. We will begin the projects in stages and this year is the pre-implementation process.
"Therefore, besides the one in Baling (Gunung Inas), we will proceed with the construction of four additional sabo dams projects in the four states, with each project taking about two years to complete," he said after witnessing the handing over of two sabo dams in Yan and Kuala Muda districts by the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) to the Kedah state government in Titi Hayun here today.
Present was the state Public Works, Natural Resources, Water Supply, and Resources and Environmental Committee chairman Mohamad Yusoff @ Munir Zakaria.
The two sabo dams were built in Titi Hayun here and Tupah in Kuala Muda district at a cost of RM22.8 million.
The sabo dams, the first ever constructed in Malaysia, were built following the water column disaster in Gunung Jerai on August 18, 2021.
Six people were killed and over 2,000 houses and business premises were damaged in the worst water column tragedy ever recorded in Gunung Jerai.
Akmal commended the DID and the project developer for completing the sabo dams construction in Yan and Kuala Muda one week ahead of its scheduled delivery date.
He added that the government is also building two new bridges in Yan and Kuala Muda districts at a cost of RM48.71 million to replace two bridges destroyed in the tragedy.
Akmal added that the government will be building additional sabo dams on top of the four approved this year, in areas with a history of water column and debris flood disasters nationwide.
He said the construction of the sabo dams is imperative to reduce the risk of casualties and property damage due to water column and debris flood disasters triggered by climate change.
In Sept 2022, it was reported that the DID had identified 50 locations nationwide that would require the construction of sabo dams to mitigate the threat of water columns and debris floods.