THE reveille sounded at 4am, signalling that it was time to get up before starting a 200km journey by land from Bintulu to the state’s second largest dam. Estimated to be at least a five-hour drive from the oil town, the journey took some 24 journalists from almost every media organisation in Sarawak to have a first-hand look at the Murum hydroelectric dam. They were also to experience how some 1,415 resettled Penans, Kayans and Kenyahs, who are among seven communities affected by the project, lived. The trip was organised by Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) in collaboration with Kuching Division Journalists Association (KDJA) and Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA). It was aimed at giving the media a clearer picture of the development of the dam as well as how SEB managed the resettlement programmes for the affected communities. Before the journalists got to see the resettlement village in Tegulang, which housed 161 households from three affected villages — Long Wat with 89 households, Long Malim Penan (54) and Long Malim Kenyah (18) — the journey began from Bintulu at 5am sharp last Thursday. The upstream behind the Murum HEP dam wall from the dams head of 526m above sea level. Water level here was at 462.26m above sea level. The dam would be able to operate once the water reaches minimum level of 515m above sea level which would take about a year from now. Massive operation: The Murum dam would be running once the water reaches the minimum level of 515m above sea level, which should take about one year from now. It took about two hours and 12 SUVs to reach the gravel and dirt section of the logging road leading into Murum, and another three hours before reaching Tegulang, the nearest village to the dam, which was about 20km away. Upon arriving at Tegulang, journalists were greeted by several Penan folk. Most had gone out to work when journalists reached there around 11am. There are seven blocks of two-storey semi-concrete modern longhouses with one multi-purpose hall at Tegulang, complete with water and six hours of electricity generated by diesel generators and 1ha of garden plots for each household or bilek. Each two-storey 1,300sq ft bilek has three bedrooms, a detached kitchen and a ruai (verandah). During a briefing at one of the longhouses, journalists were told that apart from that, each household was also given RM850 worth of living allowance per month where RM600 was for daily items such as food supplies, and RM250 cash. Each household was also given ex-gratia RM10,000 cash for their land affected by the impoundment of the dam. Most of the Penans liked the new village while some said they were still not used to it. SEB chief corporate service Aisah Eden said most of the grouses from the resettlers were about the interruption of water supply as well as a request for round-the-clock electricity. “Water interruption is caused by construction work, which is still on-going around Murum. Water pipes may be affected by the excavation work but this is only temporary. The village is fed by water from high-rise tanks located nearby. “As for electricity, at the moment SEB provides them with six hours of electricity from diesel generators whereby RM40 per household is being subsidised,” she said. The conditions at the new village were impressive as many of the Penans adapted to the modern way of living. Some bilek had television sets. Some Penan villagers even owned smartphones. Aisah said SEB had been working on several corporate social responsibility (CSR) and self-development programmes to educate the Penans so that they could sustain their living and adapt to the rapid rural development. Among the self-development programmes included agricultural training programmes carried out by the Agriculture Department, and family development courses under the 1Azam poverty eradication project. SEB resettlement officer Bit Surang explained that on top of receiving 15ha of land per household — apart from the 1ha of garden plot — included 6ha of rice field, 0.5ha of vegetable plantation garden, 1.5ha for tapioca, maize, sweet potatoes and other staples, 1ha of fruit trees garden, 1ha of sago plantation and 4ha of rubber tree plantation. They were also granted access to 19,500ha of reserve forest to roam free for their hunting and gathering activities. “All of these, including the bilek and basic amenities, cost more than RM600,000 per household,” Bit told journalists during a workshop held the day before, adding that it was the best deal ever given to resettlers affected by dam projects to date. The dam Journalists and SEB officials then proceeded to the Murum dam site office located some 20 minutes from the Tegulang village. There, the entourage was greeted by site manager Chan Buan Chong, who briefed on the safety procedure before setting foot on the dam’s head. After a quick lunch and safety briefing, journalists and SEB officials were taken to the dam’s head in the SUVs, some 10 minutes drive up winding gravel and tar-sealed road. The dam became visible halfway into the trip before reaching the dam’s head, which was about 546m above sea level. Reaching the head of the dam, Chan told journalists that the dam would be fully operational once the water reached the minimum level of 515m above sea level. “Once operational, the dam can generate enough force to run four turbines generating installed capacity of 944MW of electricity,” he said, adding that it would help power up energy intensive industries once the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) was fully up and running. Chan said that the overall construction of the dam and the powerhouse, which housed the turbines, was at 88.04% as of September this year. He said at the moment the water level was at 462.26m above sea level, and it would take about a year before the water level reached 515m. “Impoundment started Sept 21. The overall progress is on time.” The view upstream towards the reservoir at 546m above sea level was spectacular as all the mountain ranges and tree tops half submerged by the water were clearly seen during the bright sunny afternoon. Within a year, most of the tree tops would be fully submerged. After a quick tour on the head of the dam, journalists were brought to the front of the dam or downstream for a photo session. It was a marvellous sight seeing a gigantic structure in the middle of the jungle. Cranes and machines working the dam were seen like small toys from upstream. It was not a pretty sight yet as work was still ongoing on the dam and the surrounding areas, but once completed and the construction machines are moved away, the second biggest dam in the state would be a marvellous sight. At 3am, the entourage then headed back to the site office for quick toilet breaks before heading back to Bintulu, another five to six hours of driving. All in all it was a very fruitful and educational experience for many of the journalists who were there for the first time. One would wonder how much effort and money was spent to build this mega structure in the middle of the jungle. But for the sake of development and to compete with other developed nations, and to become a developed nation by 2020 it was inevitable and nothing is impossible. China’s Three Gorges Corporation, the main contractor for the Murum dam, made it seem effortless as they were responsible for the construction of the world’s biggest dam, the Three Gorges Dam, in China. On the way back After a journey through the dusty logging roads of Murum, the convoy made a rest stop at a mini commercial area near the Murum junction. Many private cars and vehicles were seen parked at shaded spaces provided by the commercial area there. The cars are owned by workers of logging companies there. They parked their cars at the lots provided and paid a certain amount of parking fees before heading to their respective work sites with the company vehicles. The commercial area has a coffee shop and a sundry shop, which “sells everything”. After a quick break, the convoy resumed its journey back to Bintulu. The fast developing town, which is seen comparable to other cities in the state such as Miri and Sibu, was reached around 9pm. Journalists and SEB officials, and the drivers of the SUVs were treated to a sumptuous dinner at a hotel before calling it a day. All in all the trip had opened the eyes of journalists and gave them a more deeper understanding of the situation at the dam and the resettled communities there. Reading the online news portals only revealed not even half of the real situation there as SEB was really trying its best to ensure smooth resettlement of the affected communities and at the same time provide better living while helping them to sustain it through various training programmes. It is hoped that the Penan communities, who are nomadic by nature, would be able to adapt to the fast paced development like their counterparts, the Kayans and Kenyahs. Like what Bit had said: “As a resettler myself, I think the Penans are getting far better deals than what we got in the past.” “If planned well, I think within three to five years from now, the Penans can be far more developed than they are now.”
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 08:20:31 +0000
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