Assistant Works Minister Limus Jury said the decision was made after the ministry conducted a study which showed the dam should be built to solve the water supply problem in Papar and Kota Kinabalu.

“The Kaiduan Dam will be constructed in accordance with the assessment by IDS (Institute of Development Studies) and UMS (Universiti Malaysia Sabah),” he said in response to questions from Kepayan assemblyman Jannie Lasimbang regarding the Cabinet’s decision on the Kaiduan Dam project.

The project has faced fierce opposition from NGOs such as the Task Force Against Kaiduan Dam, which previously expressed disappointment that the Warisan Plus state government had failed to cancel the project as promised.

Its spokesperson Diana Sipail said the Warisan Plus state government simply changed the name of the Kaiduan Dam to Papar Dam and increased the project’s cost from RM2 billion to RM3 billion.

The project was also campaign material during the last state election for Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, which won the election.

Two of the coalition’s component parties, Sabah Progressive Party and Parti Bersatu Sabah, previously claimed Sabahans were unhappy with the previous Warisan Plus government for continuing the project as it would affect the surrounding environment and the lives of villagers in the area.