No Dam For Baram

29 August 2011

Besides the colossal environmental devastation and severe consequence on the ecosystem that the dreadful Baram Dam will bring, it will also rage a permanent degeneration of the ethnic identity and heritage of the populaces who live in the region. Based on the number of villagers, the most affected are the Kenyah followed by the Kayan and Penan population. These are also the same majority groups of people who are most affected by the Bakun Dam which was just commissioned. The same like it was done in Bakun, the decision in building the Baram Dam seems to be in total disregard for all those who area affected. It is built for the benefit of others rather than those who live in Baram and for the long term good of the Baram.

As one of those affected I just can’t understand this injustice and this outrageous and abusive exploit. This seems to be a senseless exploitation which is primarily driven by avarice coupled with immorality. For us who are directly and adversely affected parties, no one can blame us in thinking that this is a calculated, intentional and purposeful manoeuvre to wipe out our races. Why it could be seen as an act in complete disregard for our wellbeing and opinion could be proven by the priority given to the preparatory construction activities done even before the proper Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are completed or perhaps not even started and made accessible to affected and interested parties. In doing this, it seems the construction of the dam is to be implemented whatever the findings or recommendation would eventually be available if and when the EIA or SIA is done.

The Baram is the least developed part of Sarawak and arguably the least developed area in the whole of Malaysia. So far, the only so called “development” which are seen in Baram are the colossal and exhaustive exploitation or extraction of the Baram natural resources; these are like reckless harvestings of the timber, extraction of lime stone, sand dredging, vast oil palm plantations and now the dam for hydropower electrical generation. So far, practically all the beneficiaries of these so called developments are big companies owned by big tycoons from outside the Baram. Most of the workers employed at these facilities are also from outside Baram and a lot of them are foreigners. So to say that these “development” bring employment is a fantasy. Like all the past exploitation of the Baram resources there is little doubt that employment spin-off from the proposed dam is “just a pie in the sky” for the Baramites. As seen at the construction stage of the Bakun and Murum dams, the locals are not employed in significant numbers during the construction or their involvement in the operations after completion of the construction. We do not see how the dam can bring significant economic opportunities for the locals.

Recently, I had a conversation with the headman from one of the village which is within the proposed reservoir area of the Baram Dam. He criticised those who do not plant rubber or not building new longhouse for fear that these would be flooded when the dam is completed; he said that he did not believe that the government would build such a dam. He said that if such a dam was to be built, the government would have already been busy consulting the affected people and getting their consent. The reaction by this particular headman reflects the effectiveness of the discreet process practiced in building the dam. The dam construction although it will affect a lot of people, at the moment is one dark secret kept away from those living in Baram. If it is occasionally mentioned by the proponents, the subject would be down-played, watered-down with downright euphemism. However, the reality as we learnt from newspaper reports and information dripping from the project supporters speaks of an affected area covering 38,900 hectares (389 sq km) or ½ the size of Singapore Island. It will be constructed of around 180 metres above seal level and will generate 1,200 MW of electrical power. So, with these realities no one can blame the fear which was noted by the headman. This fear is shared by many in the whole of Baram whether they are living above or below the proposed dam site.

At least 90% of the land mass which will be flooded by the dam’s reservoir will be the Native Customary Rights land (NCR). The foreseeable fiasco resulting from this will no doubt be contributed by the now famous government’s interpretation of NCR which differ from that of the native’s custom (Adat). The native’s interpretation is recognised by the judiciary as proven by the various court cases where the native claimants have won. This will again result in more cases of dissatisfaction among the people affected. With the single mindedness of the government in constructing the dam, the people, for whom they are supposed to bring development, will unavoidably be marginalised. For the Orang Ulu their very survival from generation to generation has been based on the land. They are basically farmers and gatherers. To disregard this fact would be to purposefully disorientated and thus destroy the harmonious way of life. Flood from the dam and the infrastructure associated with the construction will definitely bring irreparable damage to the whole environment. It will destroy a heritage for which all Malaysian or human race should respect and harness.

Relocation of the people to make way for the Baram Dam will definitely result in a permanent social damage. The Kenyah and Kayan people traditionally live in longhouses. Even the very structures of the longhouses are traditional in nature, reflecting the social structure of the communities and thus keeping the Kenyah and Kayan together from time immemorial, enabling them to face famine, wars, epidemics and natural tragedies. These structures are delicate and are now facing a lot of challenges from modern lifestyles and globalisation. Mass relocation of the people will no doubt spell the end of the traditional social structure.

In the traditional Kenyah and Kayan community, each longhouse normally comprise a group of people who are of the same dialect. For the Kenyah they could be Lepo Tau, Badeng, Lepo Aga, Jamuk, Long Sebatu etc. For the Kayan they could be Uma Baluvah, Uma Kelep, Uma Pu etc. The people of each dialect have from generation to generation, their bonds to each other make it possible for them to live in a family like attitude towards one another. Even in the face of large rural-urban migration, the Kenyah and Kayan consider their ancestral villages as their real home. They maintain their houses in the Baram and they normally go back on festive occasions like Pusau Anak, Christmas or Suen. Relocation of the people for the dam would also pose a direct challenge to this bond that is part of the social structure.

The social structure of the dam will not bring development but severe and permanent damage to the whole environment and the people. Development must be for the immediate and long term good of all the people with minimal, repairable or no damage to the environment. The decision for major project like the construction of massive dams should be made by the people. It must be a collective decision, which is made based on well informed decision. The people must know the pros and cons of the dam. Information must be made available freely to them and only after that can they decide. So looking at the proposed Baram Dam, none of these are met. Baram Dam is not required to bring development to Baram.

Press Statement release by:

Peter N. J. Kallang
Chairman Orang Ulu National Association Miri (OUNA)
Chairman Persatuan Kenyah Association Miri

New dam, same old story

Thursday August 25, 2011

NORTH VIEW
By STEPHEN THEN

With folk uprooted for the Bakun and Batang Ai dams yet to benefit from the electricity produced by the projects, one wonders how long the 20,000 people now sacrificing their ancestral land for the Baram dam will get theirs.

I DON’T really relish the thought of seeing another gigantic dam being built after spending the past 15 years watching the Bakun dam develop from start to finish.

It was exactly 15 years ago in August 1996 that the first dynamite hole was drilled into a mountain slope along a bank of Balui River to blast off the construction of three river diversion tunnels through the mountains — the first phase of the Bakun dam project.

I remember the day well. I was in the first batch of media personnel invited by Ekran Bhd (the developer) to visit the site.

Some 30 reporters, photographers and television crew members endured an arduous journey up the Rajang River and through the Balui River to the site earmarked for the 210m main dam wall.

It was a 12-hour boat ride from Sibu via Belaga, Song and Kapit, and we had to shoot up the Pelagus rapids, which at that time was a raging one. In 1996, there was no road from Bintulu to Bakun. The road was completed much later.

I still remember seeing the then Ekran Bhd chairman Tan Sri Ting Pek Khiing smashing a bottle of champagne onto the hillslope after the blasting ceremony, an event witnessed by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was then the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

During the ceremony, the VVIPs told the press that the project would deliver electricity to the rakyat and solve all their power woes.

They said the project would light up homes in urban and rural Sarawak and channel electricity via submarine cables across the South China Sea to the peninsula.

That was August 1996.

Since then, I have visited the dam eight times, the last in October last year when the flooding of the reservoir started with the damming of the diversion tunnels.

Today, Bakun has been completed, but sadly, the promise that rural folks would benefit from the electricity has not materialised.

The electricity is only for industries in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE). The project to cable electricity to the peninsula states was shelved due to high costs.

Power transmission lines from the dam run high over dozens of settlements along a 150km route from Bakun to Bintulu.

These settlements will not benefit from the electricity because they are not connected to the state grid. The dam is connected directly to the main grid and there is no power line connecting Bakun to the settlements.

I saw the same situation at the Batang Ai dam in Sri Aman Division in southern Sarawak where the settlements closest to the site were also without electricity supply.

As in Bakun, the transmission lines bypass them.

The electricity is only for the benefit of industrial users, residential estates, commercial centres and offices located hundreds or thousands of km away from the dams.

Those who were uprooted from their ancestral homes to make way for the dams do not benefit from the electricity.

Unfair, isn’t it?

Senior Iban leader Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing agrees that this should not be the case.

In interviews with The Star and a local newspaper, Masing admitted that locals in Bakun, the Sungai Asap resettlement scheme and Belaga district should also enjoy the 24-hour electricity from Bakun.

“These folk still use generator sets to produce a limited amount of electricity,” he said.

As a matter of social justice, Sarawak Energy Bhd and Sarawak Hidro (the Bakun dam manager) should supply electricity from the dam to these local folk whose lives had been affected by its construction.

Masing said he would try to ensure that the electricity be connected to Sungai Asap, where 15,000 relocated from the Bakun area now live.

He said he would also try to ensure that the rest of the 40,000 population now located in the surrounding settlements and Belaga town were also connected to Bakun to enjoy 24-hour power supply at cheaper rates.

This sounds nice, but in reality, it is easier said than done.

The Star has learnt that to draw electricity from the dam and the Sarawak main grid to the settlements from Bakun to Bintulu would cost more than RM60mil.

A lot of infrastructure work has to be put in place before this can happen. So far, no “volunteers” have come forward to offer the money.

When asked on this, Dr Masing admitted that Sarawak Energy and Sarawak Hidro had said that the move would be extremely costly.

“So far, no decision has been made as to whether the electricity from the Bakun dam will be connected to the settlements near Bakun or Belaga town.

“I hope it will be done for the sake of social justice for the Bakun folk,” he stressed.

I sincerely hope that Dr Masing’s wish will become a reality soon.

As it is, the harsh reality is that the Bakun dam, just like the Batang Ai dam, has not benefited the very people whose lives had been uprooted and ancestral land sacrificed for the dams.

The promise of jobs for locals also did not materialise. Even after 15 years, there is still a lot of unemployment in Sungai Asap and the number of jobs at the Bakun dam is limited.

The latest additions of hydro dams in Sarawak will be in Baram district in the interior of Miri division in northern Sarawak.

Three days ago, Baram MP Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan announced the setting up of a government-appointed committee to handle resettlement and compensation issues of more than 20,000 folks from 25 longhouses who will be uprooted for the 1,000MW Baram dam in Long Kesseh, some 200km inland from Miri city.

It looks like there is no turning back — the Baram dam project is on.

Already, an access road to the dam site is being opened up.

The Baram dam will be half the size of the Bakun dam and cost RM7.3bil — about half the cost of the Bakun dam. But in terms of population of natives affected, it will eclipse the mighty Bakun dam.

In Bakun, an original population of about 10,000 were uprooted. In Baram, however, this will happen to at least 20,000 from 25 settlements.

Sagan, also the committee’s chairman, said that efforts would be made to ensure the local Baram folk benefit from the electricity from the dam.

The mistakes made at the Bakun and Batang Ai dams would not be repeated in Baram, he said.

I hope he is right.

Disaster looming over Bakun

Joseph Tawie | August 25, 2011

KUCHING: An impending disaster is looming over Bakun Dam following the state government’s failure to implement the recommendations detailed in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, according to environmentalist Dr Ellie Luhat.

Luhat, who is the chairman of Bakun Community Safety Committee (BCSC), warned that disaster would strike the area in the next three to five years.

“There was a study of the EIA reports where recommendations were made. But somehow when the implementation was done, these recommendations were forgotten.

“One of the recommendations was that we get rid of as much as possible the biomass – the trees, branches, twigs, scrubs, and plants – before the dam is to be impounded.

“But they failed to get rid of all these.

“Over the years, these trees, branches and twigs will get rotten and become very toxic to the water and fish.

“According to the EIA reports, if they are not removed, such toxic can cause environmental disaster in three to five years’ time,” he told FMT.

The RM7.2billion Bakun Dam has come under severe criticism over its shoddy construction, safety, displacement of the indigenous communities, health hazards and its impact on the environment

Deaths and isolation

Earlier this week, it was reported that some 30,000 residents in the Kapit, Belaga and Nanga Merit upriver areas were cut off from the rest of the world because the voluminous Rajang River had depleted following the impoundment of the Bakun Dam.

The current dry spell and the channelling of the Rajang water to the Bakun Dam were blamed for the situation.

State Land Development Minister James Masing in an immediate reaction said he anticipated the situation to worsen.

His pessimism was further confirmed when the management of Bakun hydro-electric dam reportedly said that the water is expected to be released through the spillways in October.

Said Luhat: “We have to anticipate this (disaster) will occur… there were signs but no one is observing all these things.”

“The EIA recommendations must be implemented,” he said.

Early this month, some 10 people working in the Bakun area had reportedly died of mysterious ailments.

But state health director Dr Zulkifli Jantan quashed speculations of mysterious diseases and “curses from angry spirits” in the Bakun area when he confirmed that some of the deaths were due to “melioidosis” and “leptospirosis” diseases.

(Leptospirosis is present in rat urine while melioidosis is a water-and-earth-borne bacteria. The symptoms of the former include dry cough, fever, headache, diarrhoea and vomiting. Symptoms of the latter include pain in chest, bones, or joints and skin infections.)

Luhat, who had brought the deaths to light, said: “Now the cause has been confirmed. I believe what has been revealed by the director is only the tip of the iceberg.”

Special committee set up for massive Baram Dam relocation exercise

Wednesday August 24, 2011

By STEPHEN THEN
stephenthen@thestar.com.my

MIRI: A special committee has been formed for the relocation of villagers affected by the RM3bil Baram Dam, which is expected to be the biggest such exercise to be undertaken in the state.

Called the Baram HEP Community Consultative Committee, it is headed by Baram MP Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan with Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau as deputy chairman and a political secretary to the chief minister, Robert Laing, as vice-chairman.

The committee will have representatives from Sarawak Energy Bhd, State Planning Unit, Regional Corridor Development Authority (Recoda), community associations and headmen of the affected settlements.

“It will be the biggest relocation exercise in Sarawak, eclipsing even the Bakun Dam that involved 10,000 people,” Jacob told reporters after chairing the committee’s first meeting here yesterday.

He revealed that more than 20,000 people from 25 longhouses and riverine settlements would be resettled for the building of the dam in Long Kesseh, more than 200km from here.

“Massive development is coming to Baram, but there is a lot of fear among the people concerning the project because of misinformation by the opposition parties and some non-governmental organisations.

“That is why the state has decided to establish this special committee to deal with folk who have to be resettled,” Jacob said.

He said the committee would start negotiating with the affected folk on land compensation soon.

According to him, construction of the access road into the dam site had started.

He added that the authorities were addressing other developments that included preparing the Environmental Impact Assessment and Social Impact Assessment studies by Sarawak Energy Bhd, identification of resettlement sites and, the drawing up of a blueprint on the resettlement scheme.

Asked on the fears of the affected folk, he admitted that there were widespread worries from those who would have to be uprooted.

“I acknowledge their worries, but development is a necessary thing in order to bring progress to the people. Baram cannot be left behind, so this Baram Dam project is a necessity and it must go on.

“Certainly, the construction of the dam will definitely affect the people and their livelihood, but that is why this special committee is formed, to make sure their interest and welfare are protected,” Jacob stressed.

Dry spell hits Bakun area

Tuesday August 23, 2011

By STEPHEN THEN
stephenthen@thestar.com.my

MIRI: The water in the Bakun hydroelectric dam reservoir has not risen to the level that was initially predicted because the area has been hit by a dry spell.

Managing director of Sarawak Hidro, which manages the dam, and chief engineer Zulkifle Osman told The Star yesterday that it had been an uncharacteristically dry month.

“The rainfall for the whole month was not what we had expected. We expected more rain, but since the start of August, we have been badly hit by a dry spell. On Aug 20, only one millimetre (mm) of rain fell throughout Bakun region,” he said.
Too little rain: Water released from a diversion tunnel of the dam in this file pic.

“The day before, only 4.5mm rainfall was recorded. On Aug 16, there was 41mm (4.1cm) of rain. For the rest of August, there was zero rain. The rainfall combined on the three days when it rained was very little as compared to the normal rainfall.

“And spread over such a huge reservoir, the three days of rain did not make any difference at all to the water level. That is why there was hardly any difference to the water intake for the turbines.

“The amount of water we could release from the Bakun Dam into the downstream area was only limited to the amount of water coming out from the lone turbine that is in operation now.

“There is no water coming down the spillway because we cannot reach that level yet. Only once we have reached the 214-metre level at the Bakun reservoir can the water flow down the spillway into the Rajang River and downwards to Belaga, Kapit and Sibu.

“The current water level at the reservoir is 207m and it has not changed because of the lack of rain.”

Zulkifle said that if the reservoir kept receiving zero rainfall or little rain, there was no way the water level downstream of the dam could rise.

On whether this dry spell was foreseen, he said it was unpredicted.

On whether the stagnant level had affected the functioning of the turbine generator, he said that had not been the case because the water could still flow down into the power generation house.

As long as the water could flow down, the electricity-generation process could go on, he said.

Zulkifle, when asked whether cloud-seeding could be carried out over Bakun, said the idea had not yet been discussed with the authorities.

On the amount of rain forecast over Bakun for the next few days, he said the weather would still be dry.

On the river transportation woes downstream of Bakun, he said the Kapit and Belaga local authorities had not informed him that those woes were directly caused by the dry spell in Bakun.

He said the low river levels downstream of Bakun might be a result of a combination of dry spells in other parts of central Sarawak, not just because of the lack of water coming down from the Bakun Dam.

The dry spell over Bakun and central Sarawak is rather strange because in northern Sarawak, especially Miri, there was occasional moderate to heavy rain during the past week.

BAKUN CURSES CONTINUE

By Agence France-Presse, Updated: 9/8/2011

Malaysia's Borneo tribes lose test case over mega-dam

A 12-year legal battle by indigenous tribes in Malaysia against their ancestral land being seized to build a mega-dam on Borneo island ended in defeat Thursday in the nation's top court.
Indigenous people present at the court said they were devastated by the ruling, while activists said it could encourage the government to requisition more land on Malaysia's part of Borneo and create "internal refugees".

"It is an unfair decision. I have not been fully compensated," said Ngajang Midin, 50, of the Ukit tribe, as tears rolled down his face. He has already moved to higher ground and the multi-billion-dollar dam has begun operations.

"My cocoa and pepper trees are underwater. My ancestors' graves are buried under the sea of water," he said.

The fight, seen as a test case, began 12 years ago when the state government of Sarawak requisitioned land for the controversial Bakun hydroelectric dam and a timber pulp mill on Borneo, famous for its biodiversity.

About 15,000 people were forcibly relocated to make room for the dam and a reservoir about the size of Singapore, which began generating power last month.

Many have made an unhappy transition to life in drab resettlement areas, and representatives of the evicted indigenous people launched a series of legal appeals.

But these culminated Thursday in a unanimous dismissal by a three-judge panel from Malaysia's highest court, the Federal Court, which found the eviction had not violated the tribal peoples' constitutional rights.

"I hearby dismiss the appeal and uphold the orders of the courts below," chief justice Zaki Azmi, of the Federal Court, said in the capital Kuala Lumpur.

Colin Nicholas, founder and coordinator of the Center for Orang Asli Concerns -- whose name uses the Malay term for indigenous people -- said the decision could turn the indigenous groups into "internal refugees".

"Natives use blockades and negotiations (and when it fails) they come to court for justice. But that justice was not delivered. It is disappointing," he told AFP.

"The fear now is these people will become internal refugees because they can be forced to relocate," he said.

Ngajang, who has moved to higher ground with his family, said he was afraid for the future.
"I fear we will be driven out from our own land. I will end up like a squatter," he said.

"Our lives are only filled with darkness and uncertainties."

The case was brought by members of indigenous tribes including the Iban, Dayak, Kayan, Kenyah and Ukit peoples, some of the many ethnic groups living on Borneo, which is split between Malaysia, Indonesia and the sultanate of Brunei.

A lawyer for the group, Baru Bian, said that more tribal people in Sarawak might now be forcibly moved in the name of development.

"There is a possibility the move to displace natives in Sarawak will gain momentum," he said.
About 200 cases of indigenous people fighting state acquisition of their land are ongoing in lower courts.

Transparency International has labelled Bakun a "monument of corruption", and analysts have questioned how the Malaysian government can ever recover the money it has sunk into the project.

The dam, one of the world's tallest, has been dogged by problems since its approval in 1993, and the delays have incurred large cost overruns.

The construction costs for Bakun have added up to at least $2.6 billion, making it among the most expensive infrastructure projects in Malaysian history.