Power for the people
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.
他说，这些政治人物根本不合格，不配当领袖，领袖是走在人民前面，而不是跟在人民的屁股。
