MALAYSIA: Do a Road and Workcamp Make a Dam ?

KUALA LUMPUR, Dic 31 (IPS) - The Malaysian government has repeatedly denied that work has begun on the proposed mammoth Bakun Dam, but events in the past few months tell a different story.

Located in Sarawak, east of peninsular Malaysia, Bakun will be the largest hydroelectric dam in South-east Asia. It is expected to generate up to 2,400 megawatts (mw) of electricity, enough to secure Malaysia's energy needs into the next century.

But the dam will also submerge 80,000 hectares of forest land -- larger than Singapore -- and dislocate an estimated 7,000 tribal people.

The project was first mooted in the 1980s, but was scrapped because of strong public opposition. Last year, it was suddenly revived and has since faced mounting criticism against it.

Activists had banked on the project's lack of an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), required by law, as a way of buying time to lobby against it. An interim EIA report on the dam finally landed on officials' laps in November, but has yet to be approved.

Even months before, however, Malaysian Premier Mahathir Mohamad and Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud were already attending the ground-breaking ceremony for the dam.

Following the September ceremony, dam developer Ekran began building a workers' camp in the area, complete with a five km road linking it to the project site and an administrative office.

A month later, the Sarawak chief minister announced with much confidence that the dam could be built in six years, four years ahead of schedule.

"Ekran will need the right subcontractors and experts to hasten its completion," he said. Shortly thereafter, the Sarawak state government earmarked 40,000 hectares of land for the relocation of thousands of people who would be affected by the dam construction.

Activists and opposition politicians have been hopping mad. Two Sarawak opposition MPs lodged a complaint with the police after the groundbreaking ceremony, saying Ekran violated the 1974 Environmental Quality Act that says no project may begin work until the Department of Environment approves the EIA.

They also argued that the developer also failed to obtain the required Independent Power Producer licence. Said the MPs in their complaint: "Such pre-emptive action by the developer is a clear violation of our environmental laws and undermines the entire EIA process."

© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service