Award-winning micro-hydroelectricity system harnesses natural assets of rural community in Batang Ai
A unique thing about the Nanga Jambu micro-hydro project is that most of the works was undertaken by members of the community themselves, with minimum supervision, says Richard.
LECTURER Dr Richard Belanda Dagang believes that any community work for livelihood in the rural areas must be run without hurting the environment.
In this regard, he highlights the precious natural assets that require careful utilisation so as to help both the rural community and the environment.
“In the rural areas of Sarawak, there are plenty of fast-flowing, high-elevation small rivers and streams, which are feasible for the purpose of small community hydroelectricity power (generation).
“Take Ulu Batang Ai, for example – there is no electrical grid (coverage) due to its remoteness and the majority of the population who live in the upstream areas use solar photovoltaic (PV) system, which is comparatively cheaper, and easier to construct and maintain.
“The utilisation of natural assets such as rivers, forests and wildlife for livelihood should be incorporated with community empowerment, aimed at protecting their adjacent environment,” he told thesundaypost in Kuching.
Micro-hydropower project
Richard (right) receiving his ‘Energy Globe Award 2021’ from Reinhart Zimmermann, who is head of Advantage Austria in Kuala Lumpur. Advantage Austria is a long-year partner of Energy Globe Foundation.
The very concept of micro-hydroelectricity generation was what earned Richard the ‘Energy Globe Award 2021’, organised by the Energy Globe Foundation from Austria.
The Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus lecturer’s award-winning micro-hydro for renewable electrical energy project in Nanga Jambu is meant to generate 15 kilowatt (kW) of power for the consumption of the rural 12-door community there, with funding coming from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Malaysia (Mosti).
The works commenced in 2016 and reached completion in July 2017.
Nanga Jambu is located in Batang Ai state constituency, under the Lubok Antu District and parliamentary area – roughly, it would take more than four hours via car and boat rides to reach the community from Kuching.
Richard, who hails from Tapang Pungga Ulu in Batang Ai, said the Nanga Jambu micro-hydro system had helped alleviated the burden off the community in terms of fossil fuel.
Photo shows the certificate for the Energy Globe Award 2021, given in recognition of Richard’s micro-hydro project in Nanga Jambu.
Award for sustainability
Regarded as the most renowned global environmental prize today, the Energy Globe Award was founded in 1999 by energy pioneers Wolfgang Neumann, who had already established the energy-saving fair ‘Energiesparmesse’ in 1985 and further on, helped to set up energy-advisory centres throughout Europe. In 2000, the first awards event took place in Linz, Austria.
The awards represent the categories of ‘Life: Earth, Fire, Water, Air’, the future-oriented ‘Youth’, and the ‘Yearly Special Category’.
The key goal of the award programme is to present innovative and sustainable projects to a broad global audience, highlighting them potential great solutions to most of the environmental problems around the world. The awareness deriving from these projects would then increase, leading to a host of multiplier effects.
All projects offering solutions to the environmental problems, especially those concerning the reduction of emissions and pollution, are encouraged for submission.
The database of Energy Globe Award has grown over the years – it now contains some 20,000 projects submitted from 2000 to 2019.
It is noteworthy to state that all these projects have been implemented successfully around the world.
“It (Energy Globe Award) is more about encouraging people to be involved in environmental sustainability,” said Richard.
‘All for one, one for all’
The Nanga Jambu folks carrying out the maintenance works themselves.
Richard said one unique thing about the Nanga Jambu micro-hydro project was that most of the works was undertaken by members of the community themselves, with minimum supervision.
“They’re also guided and trained to do maintenance works.
“In terms of capacity-building, they learned how to construct something – in this project, it’s the construction of a small dam or weir; they also gained some electrical wiring skills.
“This was regarded as the core criterion that earned this project the global award it was done by the community itself.
“The project also encouraged the participation of women from the Nanga Jambu community, regardless of age,” he said.
Another innovative feature of the project was the utilisation and incorporation of raw materials sourced locally such as sand, gravel and boulders, Richard pointed out.
Additionally, he said the project also helped kick off a pilot fish-farming programme in Nanga Jambu.
“The community had released the fry of the expensive ‘Empurau’ and other highly-prized fish species into the reservoir, and throughout one year, the growth rate had been very satisfactory.
“Unfortunately after that one year, all the fish had gone missing without any trace – either they were stolen or they had escaped out of the reservoir.
“From that experience, we realise that innovative weir design and safety measures are very necessary in avoiding any recurrence. I also welcome anyone who has an idea to improve or develop this project to come to us,” he said.
Nanga Jambu
Nanga Jambu is one of several longhouses tucked in the remote pockets across the Lubok Antu District. A driving journey from Kuching to Batang Ai jetty would take about four hours, and from the jetty, it would be another hour-and-a-half longboat ride to reach the longhouse.
The view along the way, however, is breathtakingly mesmerising, especially as one passes the majestic Batang Ai Reservoir, which generates the mega-turbines at Sarawak’s first hydroelectricity power dam.
The community of Nanga Jambu is proud of their three invaluable assets. The first is their clean, clear and fast-flowing rivers, where everyone can jump in to chill out without any hesitation.
The second asset is their huge water-catchment territory, augmented by lush primary and secondary forests. For the visitors, it is serenity but for the Nanga Jambu folks, it is their source of survival.
The third asset, perhaps the most precious to them, is the ‘mayas’ – their terms for the orangutan. Nanga Jambu is touted as among a handful of places in Sarawak with high population of ‘orangutans.
“You could see them hanging on trees along the riverbanks during your journey to Nanga Jambu,” Nanga Jambu chieftain Ninting Jantan told thesundaypost.
Not without its challenges
Nanga Jambu villagers unloading the construction materials from the longboats.
Richard said any other undertaking, the Nanga Jambu micro-hydro project did face many challenges, particularly those related to it being constructed in a very remote location.
“The only method to transport the materials for building the weir was via longboat, which could not carry much.
“The heaviest load of construction materials like cement, sand or crushed stone that a longboat can accommodate is only 500kg.
“Transporting the materials was another issue due to the river tides. On days when the water was shallow, departing would be a cumbersome process as the transporter had to jump into the river and drag the longboat into the water,” he said.
The village men working together to load the turbine and generator sets into a long boat.
Richard also said on the other side of the coin, a micro-hydroelectricity system might not be the best choice of generating renewable energy in rural areas at this moment.
“One thing is that it is costly when it comes to procuring material and transportation
“Another is the system is labour-intensive – most of the works is done manually, without machine.”
Richard also regarded siltation as ‘the worst enemy of a small hydropower system’.
“A proper plan and a sufficient budget are required to address siltation at the water intake of the micro-hydro system.”
On the bright side, Richard believed that the high costs could be mitigated should there be road connectivity for the transportation of materials and heavy machinery to the rural sites set to house these micro-hydroelectricity power stations.
Dr Richard Belanda Dagang
“With more remote pockets being linked via roads, we could see the setting-up of more micro-hydros that could be integrated with fish-farming, water supply storage, and also recreation or tourism.”
Richard also acknowledged the viability of solar PV system in generating power for the communities in the rural areas not covered by the electricity grid across Sarawak.
“In comparison with micro-hydros in terms of construction and assembly, the solar PV is less laborious and incurs lower transportation cost.
“To me, I look forward to seeing more micro-hydro and solar PV facilities, or the hybrid of both, being set up in the remote areas across Sarawak,” he said.