Kadamaian River in need of progressive rehabilitation

KOTA KINABALU: From providing food security to floodings and drought issues, the Kadamaian River in Kota Belud has faced a plethora of problems, a dilemma that has been evident since the aftermath of the earthquake on June 5, 2015.

The erosion, siltation and pollution caused by the earthquake had left the Kadamaian River in shambles. Furthermore, based on an exclusive report by The Borneo Post on May 13 this year, it was revealed that the alleged extraction of stones and sand from the Kadamaian River may have caused the demise of huge numbers of mangrove trees around Kota Belud.

It is understood that the earthquake had triggered mud flows that had inundated the Kadamaian River and consequently led to the said extraction.

It is therefore safe to say that the Kadamaian River is in dire need of early and progressive rehabilitation in order to sustain it in the longer term.

The scope of this problem was explained succinctly in the recent Sabah World Rivers Day Conference and Exhibition 2017.

The conference featured a talk entitled ‘Sg Kadamaian – Issues, Challenges and the Way Forward’ by Ir. Lo Chong Chiun, a technical director of a local engineering consulting firm.

The talk touched on the Master Plan for Padi Commercialization in Kota Belud that was carried out using the concept of value chain management to increase padi production, improve self-sufficiency of padi and incorporate both upstream and downstream activities.

In a nutshell, the issues and challenges faced by the Kadamaian River revolves around the following – lack of resources, inefficient irrigated rice field management, limited use of technology and infrequent planting.

He went on to highlight that the reoccurrence of flood can be damaging to crops and properties and it can also cause disruption to the community‘s economic and social activities.

To counter the problem, Lo suggested four flood mitigation measures, namely, distant flood banks, two-stage channels, relief channels and storages.

“For food security and uncertainties of the global market, Sabah strived to achieve 60% in rice self-sufficiency (SSL) by 2010, but currently is still struggling at about 32%.

“Kota Belud is one of the 12 granaries in Malaysia since 2012, currently with the presence of Integrated Agriculture Development Area (IADA),” he said when commenting of Kadamaian River’s food security.