Five demands to save Tawau from water crisis

Hereby We Democratic Action Party of Tawau, strongly demand various agencies namely Federal government, Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), Federal Ministry of Energy, Green Techonolgy an Water (KeTTHA), State Government, State Ministry of Infrastructural Development, State Forestry Department to fulfill their duty and obligations to address the critical water crisis in Tawau district.

Despite the fact that water shortage problem is always linked to the consequenes of El Nino phenomenon, apparently the failure of government to address the issue with preventative action such as 20 years delay of Cinta Mata Water Dam, also part of the problem.

We have identified five critical demands in order to Save Tawau from water crisis:

1. Investigate and stop illegal logging activities in Tawau water catchment area. Accoridng to the report by indepedent academician, http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0069679, 80% of rain forest in Borneo has been destroyed and depleted. We want to know whether it has any illegal logging activities in our water catchment area. It is known that the rainfall in upstream of Tawau river only could restore the water supply for three days. After that, the water treatment plants again suffer with low water intake level. It indicates the lossing of water rentention capacity in our water catchement area. I have urged the various departments to investigate the alledged irregular activitites in Tawau Green Energy, the yet to be completed geothermal power plant project site, but no action has been taken. Water dam become meaningless if no more pristine water catchment area for Tawau.
2. Immediate kick off Cinta Mata Water Dam Project which is the only long term solution to the Tawau water supply problem. No more delay. Federal Government has dragged the construction for 20 years and we want it now. We have had enough lip service by the government. Furthermore the current Utara treatment plant water intake point is not suitable as no riparian reserve along the river as the area has been occupied by squatters for years.
3. Implement middle term solution while waiting for water dam construction completed. Few technologies are avaible to have alternative water source for Tawau, such as mobile water treatment unit and desalination plant. Minister of State Infrasturctural Development Pairin has advocated for desalination plant as he quoted the example set by Sydney.
4. Immediate implement temporary solution to store more water once there is rainfall, such as water intake river bank dredging, explore of underground water by well drilling etc.
5. Immediate plant cloud seeding to bring rainfall to Tawau. MOSTI has implemented it before in peninsular to address the haze problem, and the Minister Wilfred Tangau has advocated for it before to address the water shortage problem for Sabah.

If the above mentioned government agencies fail to respond to our demand, we would conduct shelve head bald protest on this Sunday in Kota Kinabalu in conjunction of new DAP Sabah headquarter launching ceremony witnessed by our Secretary General cum Penang Chief Minister YAB Lim Guan Eng and DAP Sabah Chief cum MP for Sandakan Sdr Stephen Wong.