KUCHING: State Public Works Department (PWD) yesterday reaffirmed that the Bengoh Dam will be completed in October next year.

It also said the project may be completed earlier if the weather permits.

“The contractor has commenced work with reservoir cleaning in June 2014 where the scope of work for reservoir cleaning includes the boundary survey of reservoir shoreline and zoning, biomass cleaning and subsequently biomass disposal.

“Bengoh Dam is expected to be completed in October 2015. However, the project will be completed earlier if the weather permits,” the department said through a press statement yesterday.

It said the remaining works included reservoir clearing, pipe works in the draw- off towers, plugging of the diversion culverts, installation of stoplog gates, installation of M&E instrumentation and equipment and testing and commissioning.

The department further said the present resolution of downtime or standby claims with the contractor was an ongoing process, where it will validate claims based on submitted documentation, explaining this has not deterred any commencement of remaining works by and as agreed with the contractor.

It also clarified that the impoundment of the dam, which started construction in Aug 2007, could not be carried out then due to resettlement issue, forcing the project to be suspended in December 2011.

“Upon finalisation of the resettlement issue, PWD had issued Notice of Commencement for Remaining Works in November 2013,” the statement said in clarifying the current status of the project.

On Monday, Public Utilities Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan stated that the main cause of the delay in the impoundment of the Bengoh reservoir was the refusal of the affected villagers to move out.

According to the department, the proposed dam with approximate storage of 144 million cubic metres and a catchment area of 127 km square is designed as a Regulating Dam which will regulate

the Sg Sarawak Kiri flow to the Batu Kitang Water Treatment Plant.

During normal conditions, when there is no requirement to release water from the dam, the water would be kept in the reservoir and will be released through the draw-off system in Sungai Sarawak Kiri during prolonged dry spells and when the water level at Batu Kitang intake is low.

Based on the Sarawak Integrated Water Resource Management Master Plan Study (2009), the augmented safe yield for Sg Sarawak Kiri after the commissioning of the Bengoh

Dam can meet the projected raw water requirement for Kuching areas including Asajaya/Sadong Jaya, Bau/Lundu/Sematan and Tapah/Beratok/Siburan up to 2050.

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/08/06/pwd-bengoh-dam-to-be-completed-next-oct/#ixzz3B5USkI9p