The commencement of construction of the Kahang dam before the approval of a detailed environmental impact assessment (DEIA) report is a cause for concern, said Mengkibol state assemblyperson Tan Hong Pin.

In a press release today, Tan said that the DEIA report was made public on August 25 in Kluang, Johor Bahru and Putrajaya and the evaluation of the report will only conclude on Nov 17.

"The Menteri Besar's announcement that the dam construction will begin this month is untrue unless the state government intends to breach the law," said Tan.

He said that the state government's haste in initiating the project before the approval of the reported could be a ploy to obtain timber from clearing the area.

"The DEIA report states that the dam's construction site at the upstream of Sungai Kahang is a forest reserve rich in timber as well as flora and fauna.

"Therefore, until the DEIA report is approved, I hope the state government will not start the project simply for raking in profit from logging," he said.

Solving flood?

Tan was referring to Johor Menteri Besar Khaled Nordin's recent announcement that the RM105 million project will begin at the end of this month.

Khaled said the dam will fulfil Kluang's water needs until 2035, resolve flood problems and will not involve land acquisition.

However, Tan pointed out that the DEIA report had expressly stated that 10 hectares of land near Felda Kahang Timur will be acquired to construct a 2.5km access road to the dam.

"If indeed there is to be any land acquisition for the project, I hope the land owners will be duly informed and negotiations are held," he said, adding that reasonable compensation must also be ensured.

Tan also asked whether the dam's benefits was being exaggerated, pointing out that the flow of Sungai Kahang does not pass through Kluang town as such the dam's ability to relieve flood problems was questionable.

"The government must scrutinise the matter and get holistic feedback before starting the Kahang dam project as it will have far reaching impact," said Tan, who is also DAP Youth deputy national secretary.