SMALLER dams can be built instead of the massive Nenggiri hydroelectric reservoir in Gua Musang to meet energy and water supply needs without destruction of Orang Asli villages, activist Mustafa Along said.

The Kelantan Network of Orang Asli Villages (JKOAK) chairman said the Orang Asli in the area remain opposed to the construction of the dam which will flood 5,384ha of forest area, including their customary lands and ancestral graves.

He urged the federal and state governments as well Tenaga Nasional to cancel the project because it was not sustainable.

“We ask the federal and state governments not to approve logging and mining activities in the proposed area, especially the Gua Musang forest area and upstream Kelantan because they are a major contributor to the flood and drought crisis in the state.” Mustafa said in a Facebook Live discussion yesterday night.

“There is another option, which is to build small dams in Tanah Merah, Machang and Pasir Mas that can generate electricity without damaging the environment.”

Mustafa, who was the moderator at the event organised by Sahabat Alam Activists Association, said the Nenggiri development will leave the villages of Pos Tohoi, Pos Pulat and Kampung Wias submerged in water.

He has collected protest signatures from more than 3,000 Orang Asli in hundreds of villages in the state.

Mustafa said in destroying the forest, the dam will also destroy the identity of the Orang Asli, whose lives and livelihoods depend on the forest.

“The three Orang Asli settlements that will be submerged will cause 1,115 people from 197 families to be relocated to other areas. 

“Eighteen other villages will be indirectly affected by the flooding of jungle areas, customary lands and territories.

“It will destroy most of our forest, customary lands and territories where we obtain clean water supply for cooking, bathing, washing and farming, and where we obtain forest food through hunting and gathering.

“The area contains vegetables and forest plants which are our sources of medicines, building materials, materials for traditional, cultural and spiritual ceremonies, ancestral graves, shelter from natural disasters, and eco-tourism attractions.

“We also harvest the forest produce such as rattan, wood root, and fruits to generate income especially during this pandemic,” Mustafa said.

The dam is also expected to submerge caves that have important historical value for the Temiar Orang Asli, namely Gua Cha and Gua Chawas which contain archaeological evidence of the community’s existence in early Kelantan history.

“We are not an ethnic group that rejects development. We want development and modernity but it should not come at the cost of the indigenous people’s self-identity. Self-identity is something that is priceless.

“Other caves that have historical and archeological value which will be submerged are Gua Keledung, Gua Cahaya, Gua Kecil, Gua Lubang Kelewar, Gua Perdang, Gua Rahmat, Gua Kemiri and Gua Tok Batin.

“Three graves of indigenous soldiers who were killed during the Emergency will also be submerged in Kampung Wias.”

The construction of hydroelectric dams has never benefited the indigenous communities, Mustafa stressed.

“We also received complaints from the villagers that the process of consultation, dialogue and consultation between the consultant and the community was not conducted honestly, transparently, fairly and thoroughly, not in line with the principle of ‘free, prior, informed consent’.

“This is because the community is only given a positive view on the benefits of dam construction, but the negative effects and risks of dam construction are not emphasized. This makes it difficult for some of the community who are inexperienced and knowledgeable about the technical intricacies to evaluate and make decisions in a fair and mature manner, ”he said.

The residents of the three villages to make way for the development have been offered compensation and amenities that include being able to choose their new settlement location, homes built to their specification on a 0.2ha lot, 2.4ha of rubber plantation for each family, an unspecific amount in allowance for 48 months, water supply, electricity, and tarred roads. 

The Orang Asli will also be compensated for loss of their ancestral graves to submersion as the burial spots may not be moved.

The relocation process is to begin in March 2022 and expected to be completed in 2025. – September 4, 2021.