Bakun: Publicise rescue plan before impoundment

MIRI – The government has been told to publicise its Emergency Rescue Plan before it starts the impoundment of the Bakun dam.

Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd should hold off its flooding trial run for the dam until an Emergency Rescue Plan (ERP) has been put in place and the public adequately informed of the procedures laid down under the plan, said Sarawak Conservation Alliance for Natural Environment (Scane).

Scane expressed anxiety about the safety of the dam and its adverse impact on riverine communities living downstream and upstream of the dam. The downstream communities include the people of numerous longhouses along the Rejang River who live directly below the dam and the residents of the Belaga township as well as other major towns such as Kapit, Song, Kanowit and
Sibu.

Within the impoundment area, there are more than a hundred native families living upstream, that is, at the Bakun dam’s reservoir and catchment area.

The Bakun Dam, Malaysia’s largest hydroelectric dam, is located on the Balui River in the upper Rejang River basin, some 37km upstream from Belaga township. Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ministry of Finance Inc, is the owner and developer of the dam.

To this day, the government and the authorities concerned have not yet announced any plan that would take into account the potentially catastrophic environmental consequences of Bakun Dam on downstream communities.

So far, there has been no preparation on the part of the authorities to design relevant action plans that are able to address the problems that may arise downstream in the immediate future, as a result of the impoundment of the Balui River for the dam.

Scane said it was aware of the existence of an Emergency Rescue Plan (ERP), which has been drawn up to prepare the affected areas for a possible dam failure.

However, the ERP is outdated as it was designed more than 10 years ago.

"Therefore, it is premature for the government and the dam developer to impound the dam if a new ERP is non-existent," said Scane.

It said any action of river impoundment that creates large man-made lakes in a large dam like Bakun risked destabilising the ecosystem, the impact of which would be disastrous and far reaching for human beings, wildlife and the natural environment.

Meantime, while the ERP has yet to be drawn up, Scane said the government (both state and federal) should immediately resolve some of the distressing issues affecting communities living upstream and downstream: outstanding compensation on land and property, the resettlement of villages to new sites, water pollution and river navigational problems faced by downstream communities.

It called upon the government and Sarawak Hidro to immediately stop the plan of impoundment of the Balui River and demanded that:

1. THE government comprehensively disseminates information on the contents of the Emergency Rescue Plan (ERP) to the people residing downstream of the dam.

2. A memorandum of undertaking be signed and issued to the downstream riverine communities to guarantee that if dam failure or damage occurs, the government or the project developer will be held accountable for the destruction, loss of property and suffering inflicted on the communities.

This means that if such an incident occurs, the government or developer will bear the responsibility of providing adequate monetary compensation to the affected residents.

Scane also urged the government to carry out a comprehensive and meaningful consultation process with downstream communities with regards to the ERP. — Aliran