Murum Dam has positively impacted Penan, Kenyah Badeng communities: SEB CEO

KUCHING: The Murum Hydro Electricity Dam is not only another catalyst to Sarawak's industrialisation agenda by providing cheap and renewable green energy but has positively impacted the minority Penan and Kenyah Badeng communities which were affected by the mammoth project.
Datuk Torstein Dale Sjoveit, the outgoing Group Chief Executive Officer of its developer Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB), said it had opened a world of new opportunities for them.
"For a start, we had helped around 800 of the 1,415 Penans obtain their national identity cards for them to claim their rights and privileges as the country citizens.
"We have also opened up two schools in the Tegulang and Metalun Resettlement Centre for their children to receive formal education," he said
At the moment, he said, more than 300 children were regular students compared to only 20% of the figure before the project.
Torstein, who is leaving SEB at the end of this month after helming it for seven years, said this at a farewell dinner hosted for him by the corporation here last night.
He added that some 400 adults who had never gone to school could now read, calculate and write after undergoing adult education classes.
The government, he said, had spent about RM400 million in building new longhouses and other facilities and amenities for them at the two resettlement centres.
"The settlers now are also very conscious of the need to keep their environment clean and beautiful.
"Those who had opposed the state government's effort on similiar projects like the Baram Dam should see how it (Murum Dam) has benefited the local community and the state as well," he said.
"We have set up a very strong foundation in SEB which will allow it to exploit other hydroelectric energy potential well," he said, adding that it had also recruited nearly 3,000 Sarawakians mostly in the relevant professional fields. — Bernama