A 'first' notification on resettlement sites issued by the state government to Penans affected by the Murum dam which is 75% complete has raised more questions.
KUCHING: Save Rivers Network (SAVE Rivers) has ridiculed the first notification of the Social and Environmental Impact Assessment (SEIA) Report for the proposed resettlement sites and service centre for the Penans affected by the Murum dam project.
The notification was released on Oct 11 by the State Planning Unit (SPU) and involved the Metalun and Tegulang Resettlement sites as well as the Murum service centre.
“However, the question on why the SEIA report has only just been released when about 75% of works on the Murum dam have been completed begs to be asked,” said Peter Kallang , chairman of SAVE Rivers.
“We have heard that earthwork for the two proposed resettlement sites has already begun. Therefore, does it make sense to ask for public comments on the SEIA report now?
“This sounds like a last-minute public relations exercise to me, and not a genuine effort to get proper feedback from the public,” he said.
Kallang noted that a statement made in March 2010, by the SPU principal assistant director (environment and natural resources) Andrew Tukau stated that “the state government will conduct social and environmental impact assessment studies on all future hydroelectric dam projects in Sarawak, starting with the Murum Dam”.
“Despite promises made by the SPU about two and half years ago, we are still waiting for the SEIA report for the construction of the Murum dam itself.
“We were told that the Murum dam would be the model to correct mistakes previously made in the Bakun mega dam, and other dams in Sarawak.
“Sadly, it appears that the government is making the same mistakes all over again, and the Penan communities of Murum are now paying the price,” Kallang said.
He wants to know what had happened to the government’s earlier promises.
He said the government had promised that there would be “no involuntary resettlement as was done in previous dam projects” and that the resettlement action plan would have a new monitoring, evaluation and reporting mechanism.
The failure of the state government to release the SEIA report earlier and the promises that have not been fulfilled have made the Penans from eight villages angry.
Since Sept 26, the Penans have blocked the roads leading to the dam construction sites resulting in scores of trucks and lorries loaded with building materials abandoned near the sites of the blockades.
KUCHING: Save Rivers Network (SAVE Rivers) has ridiculed the first notification of the Social and Environmental Impact Assessment (SEIA) Report for the proposed resettlement sites and service centre for the Penans affected by the Murum dam project.The notification was released on Oct 11 by the State Planning Unit (SPU) and involved the Metalun and Tegulang Resettlement sites as well as the Murum service centre.
“However, the question on why the SEIA report has only just been released when about 75% of works on the Murum dam have been completed begs to be asked,” said Peter Kallang , chairman of SAVE Rivers.
“We have heard that earthwork for the two proposed resettlement sites has already begun. Therefore, does it make sense to ask for public comments on the SEIA report now?
“This sounds like a last-minute public relations exercise to me, and not a genuine effort to get proper feedback from the public,” he said.
Kallang noted that a statement made in March 2010, by the SPU principal assistant director (environment and natural resources) Andrew Tukau stated that “the state government will conduct social and environmental impact assessment studies on all future hydroelectric dam projects in Sarawak, starting with the Murum Dam”.
“Despite promises made by the SPU about two and half years ago, we are still waiting for the SEIA report for the construction of the Murum dam itself.
“We were told that the Murum dam would be the model to correct mistakes previously made in the Bakun mega dam, and other dams in Sarawak.
“Sadly, it appears that the government is making the same mistakes all over again, and the Penan communities of Murum are now paying the price,” Kallang said.
He wants to know what had happened to the government’s earlier promises.
He said the government had promised that there would be “no involuntary resettlement as was done in previous dam projects” and that the resettlement action plan would have a new monitoring, evaluation and reporting mechanism.
The failure of the state government to release the SEIA report earlier and the promises that have not been fulfilled have made the Penans from eight villages angry.
Since Sept 26, the Penans have blocked the roads leading to the dam construction sites resulting in scores of trucks and lorries loaded with building materials abandoned near the sites of the blockades.
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