KUCHING: The Sarawak government has defended its move to proceed with ground preparation for constructing a new cascading dam project in Baram district in northern Sarawak; despite big scale protests erupting in 29 populated settlements.
Deputy State Minister for Project Monitoring, Labour and Immigration Datuk Gerawat Gala said the ground preparatory works across Sungai Tutoh near the Long Kevok settlement “had begun smoothly”.
“The locals came and supported the ritual ground blessings that Sarawak Energy Bhd team (state electricity generating consortium) performed at the site. This is a good start to the planned Sungai Tutoh cascading dam project.
“The new dam project is necessary as it will produce much needed electricity that will transform the rural landscape of Sarawak,“ he said in a social media statement.
Gala, who is state assemblyman for Mulu state constituency, also revealed photos which he said showed local natives in Long Kevok welcoming him and the Sarawak Energy Bhd team.
On the other hand, Parti Keadilan Rakyat had called on the Sarawak state government not to go ahead with the ground preparation without getting the consent of all the forest natives communities.
Its vice-president Roland Engan, who is a human rights lawyer in Sarawak, had called for a halt to the dam preparatory works at Sungai Tutoh in Baram district in northern Sarawak.
He said more than two dozens of riverine settlements with thousands of natives will be affected by the Sungai Tutoh dam if the project is allowed to proceed.
“We in PKR at national and state level are calling for an immediate dialogue with the Sarawak state government leaders.
“We want the dialogues to include every villager living along Sungai Tutoh.
“The protests by the Baram natives against the Sungai Tutoh cascading dam project have become very widespread. We in PKR stand in support of the natives.
“It is very regrettable that the state government politicians had carried out a ritual blessing at Sungai Tutoh to commence preparatory works without even consulting the natives living along the river,“ Engan said in a press statement.
In the past two days, hundreds of Penan and Kenyah natives from populated locations gathered to protest against this new dam.
They even confronted elected assemblymen from the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak during community events in Baram.
The Sungai Tutoh dam is one of 12 new cascading dams the state leaders want to construct from 2026 and beyond.
Sarawak already has four mega hydrodams namely Bakun Dam, Batang Ai Dam, Murum Dam and Baleh Dam.