River travel along Rajang expected to return to normal by next month

2 May 2011

By STEPHEN THEN
stephenthen@thestar.com.my

MIRI: River travel for more than 30,000 residents living along the country’s longest river — the Rajang River in central Sarawak — is expected to return to normal by next month.

The water level is expected to start rising to its normal height again next month once the water from the Bakun Dam reservoir starts to flow into the Rajang after the impoundment of the dam is completed.

Belaga assemblyman Liwan Lagang told The Star yesterday that the river transportation woes that started in early October last year was expected to be over by June, after nine months of disruption.

“By next month, the flooding of the entire Bakun Dam reservoir is expected to be completed. The water from the dam will then flow down into the Rajang River (after passing through the power generation turbines) and this will raise the river level along the downstream stretch from Bakun to Belaga down and on to Sibu,” he said when asked yesterday on the latest development in the Bakun Dam downstream area.

Difficult to move: Villagers walking on the exposed banks after the Bakun Dam’s impoundment which caused the upper reaches of the Rajang River in Belaga District to become shallow and dangerous in some parts in this file pic.

“Travellers using boats, including the big express boats, will then be able to navigate to the upper reaches of the Rajang River, as well as the Belaga and Balui rivers again,” he said, adding, “There should be no more interruptions to river travel, even during the coming dry season.”

Last October 14, the Balui River, which fed the Rajang River, was dammed up to enable the Bakun Dam reservoir to be flooded.

The dam reservoir has to be flooded to at least 195 metres high in order for the water to be able to run down the water inlet to generate the eight power-generation turbines to churn out 2,400 MWs of electricity.

After the impoundment of the Bakun Dam started, two major environmental disasters hit the Rajang River — a massive logjam stretching 50km that swept thousands of logs into the Sibu rivermouth and then the entire river experienced a drop in water-level, resulting in some stretches drying up completely.

The logjam was cleared after about a week, but the river transportation to the upper reaches of the Rajang, Balui and Belaga rivers continued to remain problematic until now.

In some parts of the river, the volume had dropped by up to six metres.

The Balui and Belaga rivers confluence into the Rajang River and then flow 400km passing through Belaga town, Song Bazaar, Kapit town and then Sibu town before reaching the South China Sea.

Liwan yesterday said the information he gathered from the Bakun Dam site was that the water volume to be released downstream of the main dam wall would drastically increase and would be in time to mitigate the effect of coming dry season on the water level in the Rajang River.

“In fact, the water level is already rising because the amount of water flowing down from the diversion tunnel outlet is quite heavy since there is already a lot of water in the Bakun reservoir behind the main dam wall.

“For passengers using small longboats, they can reach up to Punan Bah settlement already.

“Once the Rajang River volume increases more, big speedboats and cargo tugboats will be able to go up into the deep interior as well,” he said.

Asked about the land linkage problem faced by more than 1,000 Penans in the Lusong Laku settlement deep in the interior near the Sarawak-Kalimantan border after a rickety bridge built by a timber company was washed away by floods last February, he said the Federal Government was to build a Bailey bridge there soon.

“The army was supposed to build the Bailey bridge. Last month, they were supposed to go in and get things done, but had to postpone their task because of the state elections.

“They are going in soon, but I have not been told of any deadline for them to complete the bridge.”

Source: The Star Online

URL: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?sec=sarawak&file=/2011/5/2/sarawak/8590984

‘Raise Rajang River water level’

12 November 2010

KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit on Wednesday urged the parties responsible for the impoundment of the Bakun Dam, to release more water to increase the water level of Rajang River.

He said the impoundment had adversely affected the tourism industry in the area and the livelihood of the people downstream.

“Because of the shallow water level, some of them lost their jobs as tourist guides and have to chop firewood for a living because there are no more tourists coming after the water level dropped,” he told reporters after launching the “Jeffry Lim Freedom to Express Essence of Love” photo exhibition, here.

Dawos was commenting on a newspaper report yesterday, that the low water level in the upper reaches of Rajang River had affected the tourism industry in the area.

The water level has been receding since the Bakun Dam impoundment began and eventually dropped by more than four metres.

Dawos, who is the former environment adviser for the Bakun Dam project, said that one of the conditions for the contractors involved in the project was to release 150 cubic metres of water per second.

“But now, the contractor has only released 110 cubic metres of water per second,” he said.

Since the impoundment began on Oct 13, the water level of several rivers including Sungai Balui and Rajang dropped drastically which resulted in the operations of express boats, the main mode of transport in the area, being affected.

Meanwhile, the exhibition showcases Lim’s 15 years of experience in photography in over 35 countries where he shared his love for his family, friends, career and the community through visual storytelling.

The exibition is being held at the Bangsar Shopping Centre from today until Nov 19. — Bernama

Source: The Borneo Post Online
URL: http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=74611

Authorities still have no answer to cause of logjam

30 October 2010

By ZORA CHAN
zora@thestar.com.my
Photos by PHILIP HII and ZORA CHAN

IT HAS been nearly a month since the logjam disaster along the Rajang River, Malaysia’s longest river, but the authorities have yet to determine its causes and the extent of the environmental damage caused.

Certain quarters, including river dwellers, are convinced that uncontrolled logging is to blame, judging from the type of debris ranging from waste logs and cut wood to commercial logs.

On the other hand, others say timber companies should be absolved of all blame.

Whatever the causes are, the disaster is an indication that unsustainable activities have to be addressed transparently, urgently and effectively by all stakeholders.

A local expert told StarMetro that a disaster of such magnitude could be attributed mainly to large-scale land clearing activities.

Scary sight: Environment and Public Health Minister Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh (second from right) assessing the situation at the Sibu Express Boat Terminal on Oct 8.

“Those who have cut down the numerous logs and then disposed of them throughout the upper Baleh catchment area are the most likely culprits.

“Some may blame the weather but I am sure there have been similar weather conditions in the past where there were no reports of logjams,” environmental chemist Prof Lau Seng said.

According to him, large-scale land clearing would change the hydrological characteristics of the catchment area.

“It increases the runoff, causing erosion and resulting in stream overflows and soil deposits in rivers, making them shallower. This will eventually lead to flooding.

“The faster runoff also means the water has higher kinetic energy and will be able to carry more weight, thus washing down debris like waste logs and branches in its path,” he added.

Lau, who is the director of the Centre for Technology Transfer and Consultancy at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, said that the clearing of land and debris piling could also obstruct the flow of water and force water to seep into the ground.

When the extent of soil water saturation is high and spread over a large area, then the saturated soil would move under gravitational force. This large-scale movement of soil is known as a landslide or, if the soil is in a slurry form, a mudslide.

Lau said the landslide or mudslide that caused the logjam could not have happened overnight but could have been the result of accumulated water seepage over a period as water moved very slowly in the ground.

In short, he said the logjam was the “result of excessive land clearing activities that were not done in the best interests of all.”

“This is not natural disaster,” he insisted.

If there was any lesson to be learned from the logjam, Lau said the people should insist that all resource harvesters must comply with standard environmentally wise practices. He added that they should also ask for better enforcement measures.

Prof Lau Seng

In short, he said the logjam was the “result of excessive land clearing activities that were not done in the best interests of all.”

“This is not natural disaster,” he insisted.

If there was any lesson to be learned from the logjam, Lau said the people should insist that all resource harvesters must comply with standard environmentally wise practices. He added that they should also

“We can develop an area but we have to do it in a sustainable way,” he said.

“The logjam is only a symptom of how bad the environmental situation is. The cause includes excessive activities on land,” he added.

On the extent of the environmental damage, Lau said one of the most obvious was the amount of different fish species killed .

“Other damage is more difficult to quantify, such as damage to the spawning grounds and to the food webs,” he said, adding that the damage also depended on the amount of suspended solids (SS) in the river.

He said the SS could be high and deposition of these SS onto the riverbed might bury benthic organisms (comprising crabs, prawns and snails) and kill them.

“These organisms are food for the fish and when the food becomes scarce, fewer fish can be supported,” he said.

The most obvious impact is the drastic decrease of fish in the river and locals, particularly those staying between Kapit and Sibu, who rely on riverine fish would be affected by this situation in the coming months.

“If the benthic organisms are greatly affected, then the quantity of fish in the river will take a longer time to recover,” he warned.

“For those in the upper Baleh or near the estuary like from Sarikei and Igan, the impact will be much reduced as tidal dilution would buffer the muddy water,” he said.

Lau was of the opinion that the authorities should take stock of the existing situation in the Rajang basin as well as in other river basins.

“We need to know quantitatively which areas are severely damaged, moderately damaged or slightly damaged,” he said.

He proposed that as a short-term measure, catchment clean-ups be carried out.

Waste logs and other debris should not be dumped indiscriminately and secure places should be provided as disposal grounds which are far from rivers and runoff paths.

Long-term plans include protecting headwater areas, steep slope areas and buffer strips along all waterways, he said.

He said the government must make sure degraded areas were rehabilitated by planting indigenous trees and monitoring their growth as not all seedlings could survive in degraded areas.

“The state should zone out environmentally sensitive land for conservation purposes,” he said.

Another way forward is to set up an integrated management for the entire Rajang River basin and take into consideration the needs of all stakeholders like foresters, plantations, longhouses/villages/townships, river transport, subsistence farming, the ecological needs of fish and other organisms, public water supply, recreational water demand and industrial demand for water.

Lau said local people should be empowered to be the custodians of the river, incorporating traditional knowledge as well as modern technology in the management of the river basin.

“The people need to understand the concept, the authorities needs to learn to share their responsibilities and the authorities, industries and land users need to give greater consideration to environmental or ecological needs,” he said.

Source: The Star

URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2010%2F10%2F30%2Fsarawak%2F7317190&sec=sarawak

The mighty Rajang River not so mighty after all

Chris Reubens Friday, 29 October 2010 14:26

COMMENT Malaysia's longest river - the Rajang in Sarawak - is a source of food, income and a mean of transport for the people living along the 640km waterway.

Once the pride of Sarawak, the Rajang is now old and sick with years of abuses, mostly man-made. And recently, there's growing fear that the water level is running low. It has reached a critically low point as reported.

On Oct 8, the Rajang was suffocated with logjam causing losses of RM2.7 million after bridges and jetties were swept away with tons of debris, about 70km from Kapit. It affected cargo services and express passenger boats for a few days.

Fed by several tributaries, the river is regarded as a lifeline for the people living along it, from Sibu to the interior districts of Kanowit, Song, Kapit and Belaga.

Also, rubbish and debris from residents situated near the rivers, planks and unwanted logs from the jungles had taken its toll on the mighty river which is brownish instead of being clear and a clean source of water.

It has always been a joke among frequent flyers who view the river from the air and boat travellers along the river, that if you want a glass of "teh-si", all you need is to scoop it from the Rajang River.

The Upper Rajang River is known as Batang Balui by the Orang Ulu with tributaries which included Katibas River, Balleh River and Bangkit River.

Deputy Chief Minister Dr. George Chan said the state government has yet to ascertain the loss to the ecological system as the Sarawak Natural Resources and Environment Board and Sarawak Rivers Board are still doing their investigation.

Read more at http://www.malaysianmirror.com/media-buzz-detail/41-opinion/50232-the-mighty-rajang-river-not-so-mighty-after-all

Forestry: an unnatural disaster in Sarawak

22 October 2010

By Pak Bui

Sarawak Forestry Corporation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and forestry department director Len Talif Salleh has dismissed the horrific ecological and infrastructure damage wrought by the Rejang log-jam as a “natural disaster”.

Len Talif argued that heavy rain, rather than over-logging or the impoundment of the Bakun Dam, had caused a catastrophic pile-up of cut logs and debris on the surface of Malaysia’s largest river. The accumulation of rubbish had blocked river traffic, wrecked boat jetties and killed fish and aquatic life, leaving communities without an important source of nutrition.

The forestry head tried to buttress his claims using technology. He said the 3D Airborne Hyperspectral Sensor taken on October 15 had shown the area was still covered by forest, but traces of landslides could be seen due to a heavy downpour at the Ulu Sungai Melatai catchment area.

Many Sarawakians are skeptical. They have traveled up the Rejang by boat, or have flown overhead, and have seen with their own ‘3D sensors’ – their eyes – the destruction caused by uncontrolled logging.

Read more here: http://hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com/2010/10/22/10886/

Rajang Logjam A Natural Disaster, Says Sarawak Forestry

SIBU, Oct 20 (Bernama) -- The recent logjam on the Rajang River was a natural disaster caused by heavy downpour and not by overlogging or impoundment of the Bakun Dam, according to the initial report by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation.

Sarawak Forestry chief executive officer Datuk Len Talif Salleh said the 3D Airborne Hyperspectral Sensor taken on Oct 15 showed that the area was still covered by forest but traces of landslides could be seen due to heavy downpour at the Ulu Sungai Melatai catchment area.

"We want to clarify the misconception and nonsense from an overseas source that the logjam was caused by overlogging or impoundment of Bakun Dam," he told reporters at the Sarawak Forest Department Excellence Service Award presentation here Tuesday night.

Overlogging was not an issue because there was no logging activity on both sides of Melatai River since 2006, he said.

-- BERNAMA

Rajang River is drying up

By PHILIP HII

philiphii@thestar.com.my

19 October 2010

SIBU: Less than two weeks after the logjam disaster in Rajang River, the country’s longest river is again a cause for concern for people living along its banks.

Express boats have not been able to ply the Sibu-Belaga-Sibu routes since Friday as the river is drying up due to the current dry spell. The only option left for travellers is the gruelling journey on the 190km Bintulu-Bakun road.

Floating pontoons at the Kapit Express Boat Wharf along Khoo Peng Loong Road here are now resting on a muddy river bed.

“This time the water level went down really fast. Just 10 days ago, it almost reached the road level, a drop of more than 2m,” boat skipper Lau Ah Kuok said.

Shrinking Rajang: The water level at the mighty Sungai Rajang is dropping fast as the dry spell hits Sarawak and water is being diverted into the Bakun dam. The edge of the river, which had about 2m of water (inset) is now little more than a muddy bank.

Lau said he believed the drastic change in the water level was partly due to the impoundment of the 205m-high Bakun Dam which began last Wednesday.

The flooding of the dam, which is South-East Asia’s largest, is estimated to take seven months and in the process, would flood 69,000ha of land.

Social activist Wong Meng Chuo, who has a masters degree in Environmental Management from the Imperial College in London, said he was worried that a prolonged drought would pose severe environmental and ecological consequences below Bakun Dam.

Wong said the Rajang River was denied one-third of the water source with the impoundment of the dam.

“Firstly, river navigation in some areas will stop due to low water. Secondly, salty water from the ocean would come up to as far as Sibu. Thirdly, marine and river life will be affected,” Wong pointed out.

He explained that with less water in the river, there would be less oxygen which could cause some species of fish to die. Wong added there could also be more landslides along the riverbanks as the soil structure would be different.

He said it was unlikely that the impoundment of the dam would stop because it would incur a loss of RM330,000 per day to do so.

The low water level is also a cause for concern for the RV Orient Pandaw, the only cruise ship here.

“If the dry weather continues, I am worried our ship would have difficulties navigating near the Pelagus rapids,” the ship’s purser Neville Joseph said, adding that October to December were peak seasons with an average of 40 passengers per trip.

Durin vegetable farmer Kong Chiek Wak is worried the prolonged dry weather will seriously affect his vegetables.

“We only have a small water pump. It would be difficult to pump water from the Rajang for farm use if the water level is too low,” Kong explained.

The low water level will also affect the transportation of logs by barges and cargo boats from Kapit-Baleh areas to the sawmills in Sibu or for export through Tanjung Manis.

Sibu Water Board general manager Daniel Wong said he was monitoring the situation closely.

“The water supply in Sibu is normal and there is no cause for alarm now,” he said.

At about 4.30pm yesterday, heavy rain fell for about an hour on Sibu after a dry week.

Bian offers free legal service to logjam victims

14 October 2010

By Joseph Tawie

KUCHING: PKR leader and activist lawyer Baru Bian has offered free legal service to any person or group wanting to sue Sarawak authorities and logging companies over what has been called an “ecological disaster” affecting the rivers Rajang and Baleh.

Referring to the clogging of the rivers by logs and debris, he said:

“The logjam is evidence of a failed forest or environmental policy in Sarawak. I believe anybody affected by the disaster can take legal action. I am prepared to take such action on behalf of such people on a pro bono basis.”

Bian is a well-known native customary rights (NCR) land lawyer and chairman of PKR Sarawak.

The logjam started last week with massive amounts of logs and wood debris drifting down the Rajang for about 250km, stretching from Ulu Baleh to Sibu and disrupting river communication between several towns.

It killed tonnes of fish, including Sarawak’s famous empurau, which costs about RM500 per kilo on the market.

In Kapit, scores of longhouse chiefs expressed anger at loggers who have been operating at Ulu Baleh. They alleged that it was uncontrolled logging that had caused the debris.

They are demanding compensation.

“We have lost our livelihood, especially after the death of fish at Sungai Baleh,” said one of the chiefs. “It is very difficult to catch any fish now.”

Uncontrolled logging

Fish is the source of both food and income for many people in the affected areas.

Sarawak Land Minister James Masing on Tuesday flew over the mountains of Ulu Malatai in Ulu Baleh and said the logjam was caused by landslides and soil erosion resulting from uncontrolled logging.

He said the place resembled a “war zone”.

"Landslides and soil erosions have destroyed at least three hills in the area,” a news report quoted him as saying.

"The affected area is so big that it took 10 minutes of flying time for the helicopter to reach the other end.

"You could see exposed rocks after the landslides and erosions. There is no doubt that excessive logging caused the landslides and erosions.

"The landslides and erosions must have blocked the rivers, creating a temporary dam."

When the dam burst, he added, it released large volumes of water, logs and driftwood into Sungai Baleh, Sungai Balui and Sungai Rejang.

Source: Free Malaysia Today
URL: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/politics/sabah-and-sarawak/11537-bian-offers-free-legal-service-to-logjam-victims

‘Logjam a man-made disaster’

14 October 2010

KAPIT: Land Development Minister Dato Sri Dr James Jemut Masing has declared the recent logjam that clogged the Baleh and Rajang rivers a “man-made disaster”.

Masing warns of more such river destructions if uncontrolled logging unchecked

He said ecological devastation at Ulu Melatai, one of the tributaries of Baleh River, could be the main contributor to last week’s disaster.

However, the Baleh assemblyman said the Baleh River’s other tributaries could also have contributed to the devastation.

Baleh River has at least 10 tributaries similar to Ulu Melatai, such as Seranai and Entuloh.

“It is a man-made ecological disaster. It created a mud pool, which completely wiped out the flora and fauna in the area. This includes animals and fish,” Masing told The Borneo Post after a site visit to Ulu Melatai yesterday.

Ulu Melatai is located some 100km southeast of Kapit town and is very close to the Kalimantan border.

With Masing were political secretary to the Chief Minister Angeline Umis, Kapit District Officer Simon Japut Tiok and Kapit district councillor Tan Kian Hoo.

Masing attributed the devastation at Ulu Melatai to extensive logging with little or no control by the authorities.

“It is as if the loggers are in a hurry to clear the whole area above the proposed Baleh hydroelectric power dam, which is currently under feasibility studies,” he said.

He warned that more similar incidents could happen again if such manner of logging was allowed to continue.

Besides, he said, the soil along the Baleh tributaries was loose and heavily churned up by logging activities, which could easily turn into mudslides by prolonged heavy rain.

While the government’s policy on forest management was very clear, he said, greater implementation and enforcement were needed.

“I would like to urge the big boys to stop sub-contracting the jobs to others to prevent illegal logging and gangsterism in the area,” he said, adding that no such incident occurred when large companies operated in the area over the last three decades.

He added that this was the third such incident to happen at Baleh River, causing havoc to the local community.

The first was recorded in 2008 at Sg Ga’at, while last year a similar incident happened at Sg Tutoh.

According to him, the upper reaches of Baleh River are a very hilly and rugged terrain, making logging very dangerous. In a related incident, two people reportedly died in that area when the bridge was swept by the mudslide.

Both bodies have been found.

Source: Borneo Post Online

URL: http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=68502

30-Mile Logjam on Malaysian River Hints at Forest Crimes

October 12, 2010

By ANDREW C. REVKIN, The New York Times

It’s hardly news that the rich virgin rain forests on both the Malaysian and Indonesian sides of Borneo are being steadily sheared away, enriching a few while ravaging unique ecosystems. In fact, it’s such a persistent issue that headlines are rare.

But a 30-mile-long logjam created on Malaysia’s longest river after a heavy rainstorm last week has brought new focus to the issue, and new questions about whether the government official who runs just about everything on Sarawak, the Malaysian portion of the island, is abetting — and profiting from — an unfolding environmental disaster.

Contrast what you see in the video above, shot late last week along the Rajang River, with the gushy greenwash published by the state government on its forestry Web site:

Welcome to SARAWAK FORESTRY, and the unique vision we are planning to achieve — global recognition as the leader in tropical forest conservation and products. We are entrusted to safeguard and sustainably manage the amazing biodiversity in Sarawak’s forests — covering tens of thousands of species of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms…. Our children, our grandchildren and future generations will recognize our successful stewardship of the natural environment and its conservation.

Personally, I’m not reassured. I’m seeking a reaction from the State Department, which has made tropical forest conservation a priority under both the Obama and Bush administrations, but of course is also juggling other issues — including working with Malaysia to deter terrorism by Islamic extremists. The Sarawak government may be seeking global recognition for its sustainable forestry practices, but it would deserve global condemnation if the roots of the logjam lie in destructive, and state sponsored, logging practices.

Mike Shanahan has helpfully pulled together links to local coverage of the situation in a post at his Under the Banyan blog. Here’s a short excerpt and link to the rest:

Environment and Public Health Minister Wong Soon Koh declared the log-jam to be a “natural calamity of gigantic proportion” and blamed landslides in highland logging areas. He said: “The wooden debris which was swept away could have been accumulated there for the past 40 or more years.”

But he added that if there was evidence that human activities were to blame, “stern action will be taken against the perpetrators”. Land Development Minister James Masing blamed unscrupulous timber companies and said that whoever caused the problem should be punished.

But many local bloggers accuse these politicians of hypocrisy. They are frustrated with the decades of government policies that have enriched a powerful elite with logging dollars but have left Sarawak with just ten percent of its forest intact.

One blogger called Tbsbidayuh summed up the mood when he wrote: “Thank you to the monsoon rain for revealing state government ignorance on taking care of environment.” Read the rest.

I also encourage you to read some impressive investigative reporting in the Sarawak Report on real estate dealings of Abdul Taib Mahmud, the Sarawak official who for decades has been in charge of handing out logging permits. The newspaper, in describing Mahmud’s involvement in substantial family real estate holdings in Canada, asks a simple question:

The Preston Square development lies at the centre of the major Canadian property empire run by the developer Sakto, which was founded in the early 1980s by Taib’s college-aged son Mahmud Abu Bekir Taib, his daughter Jamilah and his brother Onn Mahmud. It continues to be managed as a ‘family business’ by his now son-in-law, a Canadian, Sean Murray.

Taxpayers in Sarawak are entitled to ask how the Chief Minister’s modest 20,000 Malaysian Ringgit a month official salary [$77,000 a year] has managed to help generate a property empire worth so much. It is also well known that the Taib family own further considerable assets in Malaysia and elsewhere.

It’d be great to know the answer, and also to be sure that countries concerned about conserving tropical forests press for an honest investigation into the conditions that resulted in the great river logjam.

If you want to track the situation on the Rajang River and in Sarawak’s forests, check the Sarawak Headhunter and Hornbill Unleashed blogs.

Malaysia’s million dollar question — where did the logs come from?

11 October 2010

The 50-km long log-jam that blocked Malaysia’s biggest river shows the scale of deforestation in the highlands of Borneo and raises fresh concerns about how the state of Sarawak manages its natural resources.

This is Malaysia’s mighty Rajang River as it has never been seen before, choked from side to side — for kilometre after kilometre — by thousands upon thousands of dead trees.

Read more here: http://underthebanyan.wordpress.com/2010/10/11/malaysias-million-dollar-question-where-did-the-logs-come-from/

Source: Under The Banyan

Ecological havoc: State govt panned

12 October 2010

By Joseph Tawie

KUCHING: Sarawak PKR today slammed the state government for its failure to prevent an “ecological disaster” when timber mass and debris clogged the Rajang River for the past five days.

“Its failure to contain the problem shows poor governance and incompetence in dealing with the consequences of developments.

“Sarawakians will suffer greater losses in terms of socio-economic costs and ecological damage,” PKR information chief See Chee How said.

“After five days, the state government is still in the dark as to its root cause,” said See, pointing out that whenever it rains in the upper reaches of major rivers, floods are reported in towns along and at the lower reaches of the rivers.

See was commenting on the massive logjam caused when tonnes of logs and wood debris drifted down the Rajang River for about 250km, stretching from Ulu Baleh to Sibu.

As a result, river communication by express boats was disrupted between Sibu and other towns such as Kanowit, Song and Kapit.

Tonnes of dead fish such as Sarawak’s famous fish empurau which cost about RM500 per kilo have been found floating in the river.

“I agree with (Land Development Minister) James Masing that this is an ecological disaster,” See said.

“I feel constrained to agree with Masing when he urged the state government not to take an ‘ostrich’ approach,” See said, adding that Masing’s call to his cabinet colleagues to take stern action was quite “bizarre”.

“It is certainly weird when he asked the state government not to adopt an ostrich approach (in tackling the problem). However, I would also like to call on Masing to keep his head above the sand and tell us what he has done in the Cabinet.

“This is the third ecological havoc which has seriously affected the livelihood of the people in Baleh,” he said.

The first disaster was at Ga’at in 2008 and the second at Sungai Tunoh last year.

Uncontrolled logging

Furthermore, See said, the state disaster and relief management committee had stated that the massive flow of log and timber mass and debris “was believed to have originated from Putai and Nungan in the upper reaches of Baleh River”.

As state assemblyman for Baleh, Masing, who is also Parti Rakyat Sarawak president, should not just point fingers at others, he added.

“However, he is not the minister who issued timber concession licences for the indiscriminate logging in Ulu Baleh, which had caused tonnes of timber mass and enormous debris to flow down the Rajang River.

“At least, it is now clear who Masing was referring to as an ostrich. No wonder he sounded angry, yet helpless, even though he is in his Cabinet,” he said.

Meanwhile, Masing said that whoever caused the massive logjam in the Rajang River should be punished.

He said blamed the disaster on uncontrolled logging in the upper reaches of Baleh River.

He urged the relevant authorities to investigate the matter and make the culprits accountable.

“This is an ecological disaster. The mud has killed fish in the rivers for over 100km.

“The government cannot be an ostrich on this issue. My people have suffered so much from this incident,” he added.

Source: Free Malaysia Today
URL: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/politics/pakatan-rakyat/11425-ecological-havoc-state-govt-panned

50km logjam on the Rajang river

By PHILIP HII
philiphii@thestar.com.my

Saturday October 9, 2010

SIBU: Logs and debris, stretching for 50km on the Rajang river, reached Sibu town at about 10am yesterday leaving many people shocked by the scale of what is turning out to be an environmental disaster.

“This is unprecedented and beyond imagination,” Environment and Public Health Minister Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh said after assessing the situation at the Express Passenger Boat Terminal in the morning.

According to a statement from the Natural Resources and Environment Board, the source of these logs and debris were from the Baleh River and its tributaries above Kapit.

Several days of heavy rain earlier this week in Putai and Nu­­ngun in upper Baleh had caused a massive landslide which brought down the logs and debris into the rivers. The high water level and swift current in Baleh River and its tributaries also washed the logs and debris along their banks.

Passage hindered: An express passenger boat trying to weave its way through the logs in the Rajang river as it leaves Sibu.

Wong said it was a serious natural disaster which had caught both the public and government off guard.

“We haven’t started to calculate the amount of losses and the damage caused,” he said, adding that once the logs and debris had made their way out of Sibu, the authorities would start to check the foundation of the Durin and Lanang bridges.

It was estimated by a sawmill manager that the volume of the logs and debris would be more than 300,000m3.

The situation was worse around noon when the whole area at the confluence of the Rajang and Igan rivers was completely logjammed. Most of the logs and debris flowed down the Rajang while some of them flowed to the Igan.

The map explains the events leading up to the logjam.

The Malay villages which were built on stilts on the right bank of the Igan were fortunate to escape calamity as the logs and debris flowed near the opposite bank.

Meanwhile, Land Development Minister Datuk Seri James Masing blamed unscrupulous timber companies for the disaster. He travelled up the river to Kapit yesterday and was disturbed by what he saw.

“There is still a lot of debris, making travel unsafe. There are also dead fish in the river. It’s an ecological disaster,” Masing, the Baleh assemblyman, told The Star.

He said that this was the third time in three years – the first was in 2008 at Sungai Gat and the second in Sungai Tunoh last year – that such an incident had happened and he feared that it would have far-reaching implications on the state, particularly on the timber industry.

He said the state government had laid down rules for logging but what was happening clearly showed that the rules were not being followed.

“I have gone around the world telling people that we are doing logging correctly. Now this happens. What will people think of us? We must take action against these unscrupulous timber companies.”

He said the authorities concerned must take their job more seriously and enforce the laws stringently.

Source: The Star

URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/10/9/nation/7192940&sec=nation

Log-jammed river disaster unfolding in Sarawak – Now in Sibu !

By HU Editor

(Updated with Video) This is outrageous and disastrous. Will the state government spend astronomical sums of Sarawakians’ money to clear up the mess or just let the rotting logs flow into the South China Sea? Will the culprits be prosecuted?

The Chief Minister, in charge of issuing logging licences for the last 30 years (and indiscriminate destruction of our forests) should be held responsible.

Read more here: http://hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com/2010/10/08/log-jammed-river-disaster-unfolding-in-sarawak-now-in-sibu/

Source: Hornbill Unleashed

Taib’s massive headache….. He deserves it!

By HU Editor

( Video Inside )This is outrageous and disastrous. Will the state government spend astronomical sums of Sarawakians’ money to clear up the mess or just let the rotting logs flow into the South China Sea? Will the culprits be prosecuted?

The Chief Minister, in charge of issuing logging licences for the last 30 years (and indiscriminate destruction of our forests), should be held responsible.

Read more here: http://hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com/2010/10/08/10352/

Source: Hornbill Unleashed

Malaysia log-jam threatens disaster in Sarawak

8 October 2010 Last updated at 06:21 GMT

Logs and wood debris flowing down a river in Malaysia have blocked river transport and are threatening major flooding downstream.

The town of Kapit on the Rajang River in Sarawak has already been cut off, state media reported.

Heavy rains have forced millions of cut logs at a timber depot into the river.

The combination of a heavy monsoon season with extensive logging, both legal and illegal, is creating a dangerous situation, local media said.

A major environmental disaster was unfolding in Sarawak, which is heavily forested and logged, The Star newspaper reported.

Fear

The newspaper said heavy rains are believed to have caused a flood at a logging camp on the upper reaches of Balleh River - a tributary of the Rajang - prompting the surge of large logs into the river.

The paper quoted a local businessman as saying that the events were unprecedented.

A Sarawak blog, Hornbill Unleashed, carried pictures of the log jam and demanded action from the government for better infrastructure in the state.

"The chief minister who is in charge of issuing logging licences for the last 30 years should be held responsible," says Hornbill Unleashed in its posting.

The river is the only means of transport for communities in the area and residents further downstream are writing blog and twitter entries expressing fear at what might happen when the log train reaches them.

Source: BBC News Asia-Pacific

URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11498660

Rajang River Still Innavigable Due to Massive Floating Debris

Friday, 08 October 2010 15:27

Last updated on Friday, 08 October 2010 15:32

SIBU, 8 OCTOBER, 2010: The Sarawak government will conduct a thorough investigation into the alarming situation where long stretches of debris floating on the Rajang River has rendered it innavigable to all boats here today.

"We need to find out the causes, but if there are evidence to indicate that it is due to human factor, stern action will be taken against the perpetrators," said State Minister of Environment and Public Health Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh.

The country's longest river, the Rajang at 563 kilometres long from its source, was innavigable to all boats, big or small, from about noon, here, today.

The river was like a conveyor belt in a sawmill but instead of transporting uniformly cut wood, it carried an endless flow of uprooted trees, discarded logs and all manner of vegetative debris from Kapit, some 176km away.

Kapit experienced an alarming situation from about 2pm yesterday.

Wong who watched the scene from the Kapit Express Boat Terminal, described the situation as a "natural calamity of gigantic proportion".

"I was told in Kapit yesterday that the debris was about 50km long. It is still continuing in Kapit today although happening in smaller portions and length," he told reporters at the scene.

Wong said he had been told that there had been massive landslides in Putai and Nungun, which are logging concession areas in Balleh in the interiors of Kapit Divison due to heavy rain a few days ago.

But he said he was still waiting for detailed reports from the state Natural Resources and Environment Ministry.

Wong said the situation had never been seen or experienced here before and was rather scary.

"When the situation improves and there is a navigable path along the river, teams from the Public Works Department and Sarawak Rivers Board will check on the Durin and Lanang bridges to dislodge any debris that might have been trapped at their foundations in the river.

Meanwhile, express boats and other vessels leaving on afternoon trips to Kapit had to delay their trips.

Those who left this morning, had to stop somewhere safe along the route.

-- Bernama

Source: Malaysiandigest.com

URL: http://112.137.167.193/news/36-local/9739-rajang-river-still-innavigable-due-to-massive-floating-debris.html

River disaster hits Sarawak

By PHILIP HII
philiphii@thestar.com

SIBU: A major environmental disaster is unfolding in the state, as kilometre after kilometre of logs and wood debris flow down the Rajang.

It was believed that heavy rain in the upper reaches of Balleh River – a tributary of the Rajang – had caused landslides at log ponds of a major timber camp and brought down the logs and wood debris.

Kapit businessman Tay Hock Joo, who telephoned The Star in Sibu yesterday evening, said nobody in Kapit had ever seen such an occurrence before.

He said the residents first noticed the debris at about 1pm.

Environmental catastrophe: Tonnes of logs and wood debris drifting down the mighty Rajang River near Kapit Thursday, temporarily trapping a ferry and its passengers.

River transport was cut off when logs and debris started filling the entire width of the river by 4pm.

At 7.30pm, the debris was reported to have reached Song and was expected to hit Sibu early in the morning.

Sibu residents are worried by the extent of damage the logs and wood debris would cause to their properties such as jetties and boats.

“We are also worried whether the foundation of the Durin and Lanang bridges are strong enough to withstand the pressure,” said Sibu resident Simon Ting.

Meanwhile, several government officials said the authorities were unprepared for such an incident as it had never happened before and they also did not have the capacity to stop the wood from flowing downstream towards Sibu.

Source: The Star
URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2010%2F10%2F8%2Fnation%2F7186693&sec=nation