Giving light to the Bateq
IMAGINE that your electricity supply has been cut off for 10 minutes, shutting down your WiFi access at home.
You would probably get angry and rant about it on social media.
The Bateq people in Kampung Aur though have been living without electricity and light, being off the main grid.
But a recent CSR Project by architecture firm Veritas Design Group, in collaboration with construction firm Haskell, has changed that.
The companies sponsored rechargeable portable LED lamps and solar panels for each of the 14 houses located in the village.
The LED lamps can last for up to 36 hours on a full charge.
The two companies were assisted by the Ecotourism & Conservation Society Malaysia (Ecomy) through the Kampungku initiative, which saw Kampung Dedari receive
similar equipment last year.
KampungKu is an initiative to support Orang Asli communities that live in and around protected areas in Malaysia through solar installation projects.
Arran Rahul Hashim, 20, a student of renewable energy at the Lewis and Clark College in Portland, United States, came up with the idea of the project two years ago.
“It is a simple but highly effective system. The system is better than a generator as there is no need to pay a single sen for fuel,” he says.
The college also provided funds for the project.
The Tok Batin of Kampung Aur, Manderu, says the solar light would enable the villagers to work on their crafts at night, while their children could study.
He said that they used kerosene lamps previously, but there was a danger that their houses could be burnt down if the lamps were knocked over.
He added that the lights would also not be noisy.