PKR wants heads to roll over Bertam disaster

PKR has urged national utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) to take full responsibility for the deadly flooding of Bertam Valley on Oct 23 because the firm had ignored warnings from earlier research.

Referring to a Malaysiakini report yesterday, PKR environment bureau chief Lee Chean Chung said the firm had ignored recommendations by researchers to control deforestation and relocate the residents.

“Going by the reports published, some as early as 1997, the tragedy in the Bertam Valley is nothing more than a human-made calamity,” said Lee.

During the wee hours of Oct 23, the water released from TNB’s Sultan Abu Bakar dam flooded the Bertam Valley, claiming four lives and causing massive property damage.

Research papers by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Malaya (UM), TNB’s Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten) and TNB Hidro Sdn Bhd had forewarned about possible dangers faced by Bertam Valley’s residents.

Lee said that the onus was now on TNB to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the matter.

“Apart from that, with numerous dams currently being planned and built around Sarawak and peninsular Malaysia, we also urge the ministers and the relevant authorities under the BN government to be more vigilant in regulating dams and hydroelectric plants operation.

“For instance, none can be sure that people living downriver from the existing and proposed dams in Sarawak will be safe from being exposed to fate similar to the victims of the recent Cameron Highlands disaster,” he said.

Lee added that world-class, comprehensive environmental and safety compliance procedures for dams should be made mandatory to ensure that safety  compliance procedures are adhered to.