ID :
216045
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 10:24
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/216045
The shortlink copeid
Sarawak Willing To Share Experiences, Challenges In Hydro-Power Generation
KUCHING (Sarawak, Malaysia), Nov 21 (Bernama) -- Sarawak is willing to share
its experiences and challenges in tackling problems related to the development
of hydro-power generation, Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud said on Monday.
Taib, who is also Resource Planning and Environment Minister, said that in
the case of East Malaysia state of Sarawak, the government had to tackle the
engineering aspect and ensure minimal disruption to the natural environment
besides providing a better alternative way of life to resettle the people from
the sites of the hydro dam projects.
"We are the younger partner in this business of sharing (experiences) ...
Sarawak will be hosting the hydro-power development congress sometime next year
to enable leading players in the industry to share their knowledge and
challenges faced globally in promoting sustainable growth," he told reporters
after opening the Regional Symposium on Engineering and Technology 2011, here.
The three-day symposium, which ends on Wednesday, is being attended by
delegates from Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.
Taib said it was important that the state government conducted proactive
discussions with the locals, who appreciate and still cling to the values of
their old legacy, as part of its approach to ensure long-term sustainable growth
through green engineering and technology.
In the development of the 2,400MW-capacity Bakun dam, he said, the state
authorities had also managed to save thousands of species of flora and fauna in
the area submerged.
There was a need to look into the possibility of utilising the huge volume
of rain water in the development of Sarawak's river system as part of efforts to
cope with global climate change and environmental conservation, he said.
Earlier, symposium chairperson Prof Dr Rosnah Mohd Yusof said Sarawak was
chosen as the venue because of the state's strong commitment to renewable
energy, which was supported by the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score)
initiative.
She said the Asia-Pacific region, where a large part of the world's
industrial activity had shifted, had seen tremendous growth in the last few
years.
The need to address the current concerns on the environment was timely and
appropriate in view of the rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, involving
intensive use of resources as well as climate change that had exerted
considerable environmental pressure and socio-economic risks, she added.
-- BERNAMA
Malaysia