SARAWAK environmental activist Peter Kallang, who had previously fought the construction of the Bakun hydroelectric, has now turned his attention to neighbouring Sabah, trying to halt the construction of the Papar dam.

Drawing experience of destruction and human displacement in Sarawak as a result of the Bakun dam, Kallang said Sabah must be wise to avoid similar situation.

The Papar dam is designed to supply 1 billion litres of fresh water a day, as well as generate about 100KV of power.

Last Saturday, Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal Sarawak was “reaping the benefit” from the Bakun dam and the state was earning extra revenue by selling electricity to its neighbours.

He also drew a parallel with the opposition to the Papar and Bakun dams saying that when the Sarawak dam was being built activists had even brought their opposition to the United Nations.

Kallang, chairman of Save Rivers Sarawak, said the Sabah chief minister’s remarks were lopsided.

“His remarks could be based on the publicity stunt by the Sarawak government and Sarawak Energy Bhd without taking into account the long-standing problems and complaints of the indigenous peoples affected by the project,” Kallang said.

Sarawak Energy Bhd is the state power company.

Kallang pointed out the Bakun dam – the first of three mega dams Sarawak went on to construct to generate electricity for companies in its Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score) industrial area – submerged 700sq km of pristine forest, fertile farm lands and dozens of villages.

“Ten thousand people of the indigenous community from 15 villages were displaced and resettled in Sungai Asap, where most of them are still struggling to eke out a living.

“In their original villages, they had vast land for farming, hunting and foraging but in Sungai Asap each family was only given three acres of farmland,” Kallang said, rubbishing Shafie’s assertion the Papar dam project would not cause severe environmental impact or huge displacement of residents.

Kallang said the Sarawak government had also promised the 2,400-megawatt (MW) Bakun dam would bring job opportunities, improved standards of living and development.

“However, they remain empty promises.

“Despite the many formal complaints and grumbling from the people, they go unnoticed and unheard.”

Kallang said unhappiness over unfulfilled promises was also voiced by the displaced people’s representatives: Belaga assemblyman Liwan Lagang and Murum assemblyman Kennedy Chukpai Ugon.

Recently, Lagang, who is also the Assistant Minister for Water Supplies, publicly complained about the slow pace of development in Belaga more than 20 years after the Bakun dam was built.

“We are lighting up Sarawak and yet we (those living below the Bakun dam) don’t have electricity,” he complained.

Kallang also pointed out that any mega projects that affect the environment, properties and people, the principle of free prior and informed consent (FPIC) as stated in the United Nation Declaration on Right of the Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) must be observed.

“Any social and environmental wellbeing must never be compromised by economic objectives,” he said.

He questioned Shafie’s decision to build the dam “when Sabah recorded high rainfall with Mount Emas and the Crocker Range acting as natural reservoirs, supplying water to the Paper river which never runs dry”.

Shafie had said the Papar dam is a water reservoir to secure fresh water for the people of Papar, Penampang, Kota Kinabalu and people living on the west coast. – July 1, 2019.