By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: The federal and Sabah governments must work together to mitigate impacts that could exacerbate disaster risks in Kundasang.
Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) Minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup acknowledged that the risks associated with natural causes and climate change in Kundasang had increased over the years.
"We have to balance our conservation with our development needs. I have read the reports by the Sabah Works Minister that about 90 per cent of buildings in the area do not have an occupation certificate (OC).
"Under my ministry, we have the Minerals and Geoscience Department, which could monitor all the tectonic activities and slope movements that could give warning to the state.
"But we also need to coordinate with the state to ensure all the buildings built there comply with the safety standards," he told reporters after launching the International Conference on Tropical Forestry 2026 at a hotel here.
Kurup, who is the Nabawan assemblyman and Pensiangan member of parliament, was asked about the ministry's mitigation efforts following the NST's recent special report, titled "Kundasang's beauty under threat."
In its recent studies, the Sabah Minerals and Geoscience Department found that a combination of human activities, climate change and earthquakes was taking a toll on the terrain of Kundasang, dubbed the "New Zealand of Sabah."
The department's report cited simulation models showing that, in a worst-case scenario, debris flows in the Mesilou catchment area could reach depths of about 25 metres before depositing sediment near populated areas downstream.
On the possibility of using funds from the proposed National Adaptation Fund for mitigation measures in Kundasang, Kurup said he hoped it could subsequently be used to expand early warning systems, geospatial monitoring and satellite surveillance in areas at risk of natural hazards, including Kundasang.
The fund, which would come from a carbon tax on the cement, energy and steel sectors, is aimed at financing measures to address climate change, including conservation, tree planting, research and development, flood mitigation, slope works and geospatial initiatives.
"The carbon tax is actually under the Finance Ministry, which has the power to collect tax revenue. We (NRES) can only introduce the policy and the framework.
"But I am really trying my best in order to make sure that any carbon tax that we collect goes into this fund so that the people can see where their tax money goes.
"We can also use that fund to help areas such as Kundasang by increasing more early warning systems, as well as geospatial and satellite monitoring. It will also help to improve coordination with agencies such as the National Disaster Management Agency," he said, adding that the carbon tax would only be introduced after the necessary institutional framework was established.
Comments
Post a Comment