November 18, 2009 19:51 PM

Sabah To Gazette Eight More Water Catchment Areas

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 18 (Bernama) -- The Irrigation and Drainage Department has identified eight water catchment areas which will be gazetted as protected areas, Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Radin Malleh said.

He said the areas are in Tambunan (209 sq km), Keningau (300 sq km), Tenom (305 sq km), Kota Marudu (237 sq km), Kota Belud (72 sq km), Ranau (407 sq km), Pitas (367 sq km) and Papar (186 sq km).

"The size of areas involved is 2,083 sq km," he said in reply to Datuk Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif (BN-Membakut) during question time at the state legislative assembly sitting Wednesday.

Malleh said that the state government was also in the process of identifying water catchment areas in other districts.

"We hope to complete the exercise in 2016," he said.

So far, five areas had been gazetted as water catchments which include a 356 sq km area covering Sungai Atug in Sook and Sungai Apin-Apin in Tambunan, as well as in Keningau (88 sq km), Sungai Tondulu in Tambunan (19 sq km), Sungai Sepagaya in Lahad Datu (26 sq km) and Sungai Tawau and Merotai Kanan in Tawau (189 sq km).

-- BERNAMA

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