KOTA KINABALU: The controversial Papar Dam mega project will be halted if the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is given a full mandate in the upcoming state polls.
Its honorary president, Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat, said with the termination of the dam project, the state government could have more money to address other crucial issues.
He said politicians' obsession with projects saw the cost of the dam inflated to RM3 billion from RM2 billion when it was proposed by Barisan Nasional, which named it the Kaiduan Dam.
"An LDP state government will instead spend a fraction of the RM3 billion plus to create more reservoirs and upgrade all existing ones in Sabah, as well as disconnect illegal water connections.
"With the termination of the Papar Dam project, there will be more than enough funds to address the horrendous flooding long suffered by the people in Penampang and Kapayan to Putatan," he said at the launch of LDP's participation in the upcoming state polls here on Thursday.
The former Sabah chief minister added that it was ironic to have the biggest representation of honourable members, from Parliament to the state assembly, coming from Penampang, but the flooding in the area was never-ending.
Recently, Sabah Progressive Party deputy president Edward Dagul took caretaker Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal to task for announcing that the Warisan-led government would continue the dam project should it become the government again.
He said such an announcement was a slap in the face for people from Papar and Penampang, including the constituency-elected assemblymen Jannie Lasimbang and Jenifer Lasimbang, as well as Penampang member of parliament Datuk Darell Leiking, who had opposed the project.
"As for water supply, it is a known fact that the rate of non-revenue water (NRW) is 50 per cent, which is lost in the water delivery system due to broken pipes and faulty pumps.
"If the government wants to supply water, at least RM300 million per year must be allocated to reduce NRW until we have reached the international standard of 20 per cent," he said, adding that the Sabah government had allocated only a meagre RM7.90 million for that purpose this year.