Sunday, July 31, 2011

Mengkuang Dam Expansion Project - 1st Aug 2011

Beginning 1 Aug 2011, the dam will be closed for the expansion of the dam for 5 years. It will be a white elephant when completed as there are not enough rivers (infact only streams) to feed the dam. A federal govt project that make no sense...except perhaps to enrich some cronies. Refer to this website that done a research on the dam years ago...under CM Dr Koh then. Today under the new CM Lim, its just the same cock story. Click here

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July 30, 2011
Residents don’t want park to be closed during work on Mengkuang Dam
Star

Residents living near the Mengkuang Dam in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, are appealing that the adjoining recreational park be closed in stages once the dam extension project starts.

Their representative Datuk Seri Teh Aik Lum said that the recreational park had long been a venue for exercise for those staying nearby.

“We understand that the dam extension project is necessary as it is important for the state’s water supply.

“However, we hope the recreational park can be closed in stages so nearby residents will be able to use sections of it as construction goes on,” Teh said during a press conference at Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s office in Komtar.

Lim, who chaired the press conference, said the dam would be handed over to the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water on August 1 for the commencement of the RM1.2bil project.

“Through Penang Water Supply Corporation Sdn Bhd (PBAPP), the state has forwarded the residents’ appeal to the relevant ministry in a letter dated July 27.

“We want to say that we support this request but this is a Federal Government project and they are completely in control of it,” Lim said, adding that residents had collected 30,000 signatures in a petition to close the park in stages.

He added that the issue would also be brought up during a project meeting with the ministry and other relevant parties today.

PBAPP general manager Jaseni Maidinsa, who was also present, said the residents’ proposal involved building by-laws that the project constructor would need to take into account.

“The park is located directly in the construction area and it is mandatory for the construction site to be fenced up to protect both the public and the equipment at the site,” he said.

He added that the expansion project, which would take five years to complete, would increase the dam capacity by almost four times, bringing the maximum storage volume to 78mil cubic metres.

“This will safeguard the state’s water supply until 2020,” he said.

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