BAKUN - Environmentalists are up in arms over the move by the developer of the Bakun Hydroelectric Dam project in central Sarawak to set fire to timber-leftovers in 64,000 hectares of logged territories in the Bakun reservoir - an area the size of Singapore, The Star reported.

Sarawak Conservation Action Network coordinator Raymond Abin told The Star Sunday, the network had gathered information that the burning of the timber-debris had begun in Bakun as a prelude to the impoundment of the dam and the eventual flooding of the reservoir.

"We (network) are shocked that the entire reservoir will be set on fire in order to clear all the leftovers to enable the the impoundment of the dam to be done.

"Ground surveys carried out by us showed that the work to clear the dam reservoir had already started early this year and the contractors carrying out this clearing work are setting fires to those areas with large amount of uncleared timber-debris.

"The reservoir is the size of Singapore. Imagine the havoc to the environment if the burning is allowed to be done in such a huge area.

"There are 20 sub-catchment areas in Bakun. We have found that the burning had already started in
different locations. The contractors are told to burn all areas to make sure all timber debris are cleared
before the flooding.

"The workers are gathering all these debris and burning them until they turn to ash. An environmental crisis is waiting to happen in Bakun if the authorities do not step in and stop this,'' he said.

The network is a coalition of more than a dozen environmental and native rights action groups.

Among its members are the Borneo Resources Institute, the Indigenous Peoples' Development Centre, Customary rights of Sarawak's Indigenous People Network, Sarawak Centre for Indigenous Rights, Sarawak Indigenous Lawyers Association, Serukup Raban Iban Bintulu, Gerempung Anak Biak Sekabai, Indigenous Peoples Institute of Malaysia, Society for Alternative Living and Native Longhouse Action Committee.

Abin on Sunday said the developer of the dam, Sarawak Hidro, is rushing to clear the reservoir of all timber debris because the impoundment of the dam is set for October this year.

"They want to get the reservoir flooded as soon as possible so that the power generation can start next year,'' he stressed.

He said burning of such a massive area would cause large-scale air pollution and destruction of whatever is left of the Bakun ecosystem and the wildlife.

The recent fires and haze episode in Miri that had caused air pollution for a whole month showed how much damage such burning can cause to the environment and to humans, he noted.