Sarawak govt confirms construction of three more hydroelectric dams

FOLLOWING a series of environmental objections, Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg has confirmed that the government will go ahead with the construction of three more hydroelectric dams in the state.

He assured that the new dams, which are based on the cascading design, will not flood over excessively large regions.

They will be built across Sungai Gaat at Kapit district (in central Sarawak), Sungai Tutoh at Baram district (in northern Sarawak), and Sungai Belaga at Belaga district (central Sarawak).

Johari said the dams will be constructed by private companies.

However, the distribution of the electricity to be generated will be controlled by Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) which is owned by the state government, he stressed.

“The local communities in Baram, Kapit and Belaga have wanted these new dams to be constructed to supply electricity for them," he claimed.

He did not disclose how much money will be spent on the projects or when construction will start.

He also did not disclose how large an area will be flooded by each dam.

Sarawak already has five huge dams – Bakun, Batang Ai, Murum, Baleh and Bengoh.

In late October, Baram’s Tering ethnic community elder Willie Kajan had refuted the claim that many natives living in the forests of Baram were eager for the dam to be built there.

He warned that the project at Sg Tutoh, which is linked to the Mulu National Park, would threaten the Unesco World Heritage Site.

Kajan demanded that Abang Johari reveal the names of those in Baram who he claimed wanted the project to start.

Problems with cascading design

On November 17, a civil society group also expressed concern, claiming that cascading dams are money-sapping projects as they are more expensive to construct and maintain, and they cannot produce electricity during dry season.

They questioned why the state government insists on going ahead with building such new dams.

Environmental watchdog group Save Rivers Network said that former SEB chief executive officer Datuk Torstein Sjotveit had stated in a report that cascading dams are not practical for a state like Sarawak which can experience prolonged dry spells and even serious drought.

Save Rivers chairman Peter Kallang said the idea of building cascading dams in the state had cropped up before.

However, in 2015, Torstein who was then CEO, had said that such dams were more expensive to build compared to those with conventional designs, Kallang stressed.

"Torstein also said that such cascading dams are not practical in Sarawak as they cannot produce electricity when the river level declines.

"In Sarawak we have seen extreme dry seasons and even severe prolonged drought,” Kallang said.

"Under such circumstances, these cascading dams are money sapping projects. So why insist on building them?" he said.

It was also pointed out that social and human rights problems generated by the construction of the previous dams have lingered on until today.

Kallang pointed to the difficulties still faced by evicted natives in Bakun after thousands of people from the Penan tribe were removed from the equatorial rainforest there to make way for a mega-dam 25 years ago. – The Vibes, January 16, 2024