The Assessments

Sabahans, especially those living in the east coast, have been experiencing frequent power supply interruptions since many, many years ago. The problem has become quite critical in recent years. So it’s no surprise that the government had to embark on actually doing something about it, rather than just winning elections.

And because we have so many clever people in our government, of all the possible means of improving the power supply situation in the state, we simply had to opt for the coal-fired power plant which is of course more expensive than other alternatives. Apparently, the proposed coal power plant has a capacity of generating 300 MW. If I’m not mistaken, it was mentioned in a recent news article that the cost of the coal power plant is about RM2 billion; whereas a hydrocarbon fuel power plant of similar capacity would cost about RM1.6 billion.

Now as we all know, the cost of hydrocarbon fuel had escalated sharply over the recent years. Strictly based on the market forces of supply and demand, I doubt that there is much hope for the cost of hydrocarbon fuel to ever come down back to the good old days of USD30 per barrel. Instead, I think it is likely to increase even further in the years to come! Therefore, although it may be several hundred million Ringgit cheaper to construct a fuel power plant now as opposed to the coal power plant, we may have serious cost implications in the future.

Nevertheless, cost is just one of the many factors in the equation. Apart from the issue of the emissions of CO2 and other contaminants into the environment, there are concerns of irreversible destruction of the environment and the many plant and animal species therein. I shall not go into the details of these concerns here, since one can quite easily google up on “coal-fired power plant in Sabah”, and there will be plenty of materials there.

I think most of us are aware of the potential negative effects of a coal-fired power plant in Sabah—that there is some truth in the potential detrimental consequences on our fragile environment. But we are not all environmental scientists, so we don’t really know the extent of those negative consequences.

But because of these concerns, we have had quite a number of the so-called Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) prepared by numerous parties. Needless to say, the EIAs prepared by professionals working for the government concluded that the coal-fired power plant is a good idea. Because our politicians are in favour of the coal-fired power plant—for reasons known only to them—I would have been extremely surprised if their professional environmentalists had concluded against their beloved coal-fired power plant. On the other hand, the EIAs prepared by the opposing side arrived at the opposite conclusion. So which of these “assessments” would you trust?

Well, maybe it’s me, but I'm inclined to trust the EIAs prepared by those opposing the coal-fired power plant. There appear to be sufficient evidence to support the drive against the coal power plant, but of course the government will always find ways to construct the forsaken plant, one way or another. I think this thing about trying to collect as many signatures as possible in the hope of sending a petition to the government against the coal power plant shall be in vain. We all know that when these people have made up their minds to build the power plant, they will build it sooner or later. The only way to stop the plan is currently unavailable. The people will just have to wait till a year or two from now.

And so we have since seen the production of the government's Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) (note that there is now that additional word “Detailed”), which, unfortunately, has been rejected by the Department of Environment (DOE). Apparently, this latest decision by the DOE was welcomed by various quarters, especially those non-governmental organizations which have been fighting hard against the coal-fired power plant.

Quite honestly, I don’t know what’s the excitement all about. It’s not like our government is gonna give it up on account of the DOE’s decision. Some people have too much to lose if that should happen. Out of nowhere, suddenly we have 1,500 villagers showing support for the coal-fired power plant. My guess is, we shall soon see an improved version of the Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA)—in fact, I think it will be known as the Extremely Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EDEIA).

Drying Up To 2035

In the front page of The Borneo Post today was an article of the current heat wave in Sabah. The weather has been extraordinarily hot over the last couple of days. Even with the air-conditioner running in the office, I've been sweating profusely, though I'm not sweating my tits off yet at this stage.

Yesterday, during the weekly Rotarian meeting, Rtn Toshinori gave an interesting talk about his work in Mongolia. Toshi is an Environment Conservation Specialist who spends a lot of his time in the jungles of Sabah, but also in Mongolia.

The above is a map showing the location of Mongolia. Note the neighbouring China, Kazahstan and Russia. In the middle is the mountain range which used to contain many glaciers. These glaciers are the main source of water for this reqion.

A beautiful shot of the Bolonin Glacier in Altai Mountain Range at an estimated depth of 200 metres in 2002, but has been decreasing rapidly to an estimated 50 metres in 2007. Because of global warming, a difference of only 1.5 degrees centigrade over the recent years, it has been estimated that there will be no more glaciers in this region by the year 2035. That is not exactly a very long time from now. Essentially, what it means is that by the year 2035, an approximate 1 billion people in this region will have problem with water for their livelihood.

These are some of the people who inhabit the area—very simple folks who have continued the traditional way of life, hunting animals with their well-trained Golden Eagles. Living in an environment of frequent below-freezing point, they welcome the increasing temperature, not knowing that the entire area will be dry in less than 30 years' time.

The Ongii River, flowing from the Hangai Range to the Gobi Desert which was frequently flooded during the springs and summers up till 1995. It was the source of water for the people and wildlife.

Ongii River in 2000. No more water for the people and wildlife due to uncontrolled gold-mining and climate change. Below are some of the attempts to squeeze some water out of the clouds in the sky above the Gobi Desert.

Think about it—the year 2035. We probably won't have to worry too much about the war against Skynet, the super computer. The water problem is good enough to wipe out 1 billion people. Toshi opines that we have not done enough to reverse the trend; and all the glaciers will melt and dry out in the end.

Scary, huh?

The Intruders

Sabah is home to numerous unique and rare animals such as the Proboscis Monkeys, Sumatran Rhinoceroses and the Borneo Elephants, to name a few. However, some of these animals have declined in population over the years, and now classified as endangered species. If we are not careful, by the next generation the only place we can see them is in the zoo.

It has been estimated that the current population of the Borneo Elephants in Sabah had dwindled to only 1,000. In recent years, as more lands were opened to make way for oil palm plantations, the Borneo Elephants' natural habitat was quickly reducing in size.

Yesterday, during our Rotarian meeting, a fellow Rotarian, Mr Toshinori Tsubouchi, a Japanese consultant attached to the Borneo Conservation Trust, showed me some pictures, taken during one of their field visits in the vicinity of the Menangor River in Sukau. The above picture shows a baby elephant with its mother. It is good to know that the elephants are still breeding.

But this next picture is very disturbing—it shows the baby elephant is suffering from a serious injury on its right fore limb. It was caught in a wire trap set by oil palm plantation workers. Although it was able to escape from the trap, its limb was beyond help.

How my heart broke when Toshinori told me that they had no choice but to put this baby elephant down. Chances for adaptation with only 3 legs were too remote for a sizeable animal like this elephant. It would have died a slow and painful death.

This land has been the home of the Borneo Elephants since an estimated 18,000 years ago. But their world has become gradually smaller over the years because of human intrusion into their habitat. In the end it's the Borneo Elephants that have become the intruders of the human plantations.

Toshinori is facing an uphill task, but I hope these brave people will be successful in saving the last of these rare animals.