AS urbanites settle down to dinner or watch prime time news at 8pm every day, most folk in the many remote villages may have little to do, save, perhaps, retiring early. Being distant from the main grid, they do not have electricity to light up their nights, let alone TV sets, and stay connected to the rest of the world.
In some villages, the generators may be switched on till late, puncturing the dead quiet of the night with their monotonous ear-splitting drone.
Besides, petrol or diesel has to be transported from faraway urban centres via either rivers or logging roads to power the generators.
More often than not, the generators can only light up a couple of bulbs and TV sets for few hours a day — at very high costs. No, it’s not that the government does not want to connect the villages to grid electricity. To do so would be very costly as the lines may have to run through treacherous terrain, hills and thick jungles.
However, with the introduction of green technologies such as hydro and solar energy, some of the villages in the interior can have access to clean and green power. Many experts believe micro-hydro is the best alternative to grid power because of its stability. Unlike macro-hydro, micro-hydro does not require a big dam which can interfere with river ecosystems.
Instead, a micro-hydro system diverts water away from the main stream, filters it and then flows it down a pipeline into turbines in a small powerhouse. Once through the turbines, the water flows back into waterway further downstream.
Micro-hydro is green, reliable, cost-effective and low maintenance. As such, it is seen as one of the most suitable ways to bring electricity to rural communities in Sarawak.
Earth-breaking ceremony of a micro-hydro project at Rumah Kedit.
Micro-Hydro Mission
To date, some 1,353 power consumers in the rural areas of Julau and Kapit have been enjoying almost free electricity around the clock — thanks to the Micro-Hydro Mission Team, which has brought the technology to seven longhouses since 2012.
Comprising five professionals from different fields — civil, electro mechanical and electrical — the team has built seven micro-hydros, generating a total of 120KW.
Project director Belayong Jampong said the team was formed after they attended a course, conducted by Unimas under the Second Stimulus Package for Renewable Energy in 2009.
He recalled the team’s first micro-hydro project was implemented at Rumah Jawang, Bukit Seri, Julau, in 2012, saying it started as scrap metal or at zero-budget.
“The five of us have always been talking about bringing power to people in the interior, and a few years after attending the course to get a clearer idea on how to build a hydro dam, we were set on trying to build the first one.
“We identified a river at Rumah Jawang and went to talk to the Tuai Rumah who managed to convince his longhouse people to build the dam by gotong-royong. So the logistics, labour, sand and stones were all free. We only needed to purchase materials, which were not available at the location such as cement, steel and transmission lines.”
Belayong said funds for the materials came from the Minor Rural Project Programme of BN elected representatives, fund-raising activities of the village security and development committee, churches and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), adding that every family also contributed one belian pole each.
According to him, the first project, benefitting 43 families, was built in 35 days. Rumah Jawang was chosen for the experimental project because the villagers were very interested in having 24-hour electricity supply.
“Moreover, the villagers are very united and cooperative — which is very crucial for the success of such a project. The Tuai Rumah also played a major role, making sure each family had a representative in every gotong-royong, organised three days a week,” he explained.
The success of the Micro-Hydro Mission Team in bringing power to Rumah Jawang impressed the 1Malaysia Sarawak Advisory Council (1MSAC), resulting in funding from the council to upgrade the first project at Rumah Jawang in 2013.
Since then, Belayong disclosed, another six micro-hydro dams *had been built and are now fully operational.
Other longhouses enjoying 24-hour electricity supply are Rumah Michael Jantan in Nanga Bekatan, Ruman Lugun in Nanga Taba, Rumah Nyaiyang in Ensiring, Rumah Suin Tebru in Entabai and Rumah Kedit in Sungai Buluh, all in Julau, and Rumah Merirai in Baleh, Kapit.
Another new micro-hydro project in Mujuk, also in Julau, is about to start.
“All these projects were funded by the 1MSAC. Our team is very grateful to 1MSAC chairman Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum, who has been very supportive of our efforts to bring power to the people in the interior of Julau,” he said.
Belayong and his team fix the valve of a penstock at the project site at Rumah Nyaiyang, Ensiring.
Self-help key to success
Belayong acknowledged that without 1MSAC funding, lighting up the longhouses would have been very difficult.
He also said the tuai rumah and the longhouse community were vital to the success of the projects.
“The villagers were the ones who built the dam while the tuai rumah was instrumental in ensuring everyone participated in the gotong royong carried out three days a week while for the remaining days, the villagers worked in their gardens or farms.”
Belayong is optimistic micro-hydro technology can be extended to the many remote villages, especially along the riverbanks, saying the technology is not only affordable and environmentally-friendly but also more stable than solar. Besides, the villagers can use the dam to rear fresh water fish.
He said beneficiaries of the micro-hydro project also need not pay electricity bills.
“The Longhouse Maintenance Committee may have to collect only a minimal fee of between RM5 and RM10 a month for clearing the leaves and sediments in the dam. On the technical part like problems relating to the turbine, they can contact any of the team members for help,” he assured.
Belayong pointed out that it would be quite costly to build a micro-dam, using paid labour and materials like sand and stones. He said each dam the team built could cost up to RM2.3 million on average if they did not use volunteers, adding that their second project had been estimated at RM2.5 million.
“But, of course, all our seven micro-hydro projects — and an upcoming one — are much cheaper because of the spirit of gotong-royong. The villagers collect the sand and gravel from the riverbed which are free. Even the turbines used in every dam have been replicated by us.”
The dams built by the team are only between 16 and 26 metres wide and three metres high.
Belayong reckoned with maintenance done by the villagers themselves, the dam could provide free renewable energy for generations.
The pelton turbine at Rumah Suin, Teberu, Kemalih.
Better home comforts
He said the aim of all their power projects is to improve home comforts.
“Nowadays, students who come home during weekends or school holidays can still use electrical gadgets like TVs and laptops to connect with the outside world. The availability of
micro-hydro in the seven villages has, in a way, narrowed the urban-rural digital gap, at least in terms of power.”
Belayong also pointed out that the team would only help those villagers or longhouse folk who are prepared to do the construction work on a voluntary basis. He advised the tuai rumahs and villagers who are willing to take up the challenge to build a micro-hydro dam for their longhouse to submit an official application through their elected representatives.
Belayong said micro-hydro power had great potential in Sarawak, especially for the scattered communities not connected to the main power
grid. He believes the vast networks of rivers and streams washing the rugged terrain, dotted by pockets of remote settlements, provide great potential for this kind of sustainable renewable energy.
The Sarawak government has found it very costly to connect electricity to the villages or longhouses in the interior as the rural population is scattered among so many small settlements which are far away from the power grid. These areas are accessible either by boat or through logging roads.
Most of these remote settlements use small generators to provide electricity. And the cost of operating a small generator is normally much higher than the electricity bills paid by urban consumers.
Belayong (right) and Tuai Rumah Jawang at the site of the completed dam at Rumah Jawang.
Transporting construction materials by boat.
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