Enhance use of Sarawak’s hydro lakes

THE recent visit by Sarawak’s Chief Minister and delegation to Canada with the aim of enhancing the state’s water resources is a step in the right direction.

Canada’s use of the Great Lakes for power generation and other applications has propelled the country forward on numerous fronts in industry, agriculture and tourism, among others. In fact, the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba rely on hydro power for most of their needs.

And in Tasmania, hydro power is even sold to mainland Australia.

As stated by the Chief Minister, there is currently very limited use of the hydro dams in the state other than generating power, which is deemed as under-performing, and more applications should be in place, including tourism which will ultimately provide opportunities to locals living around the dams’ sites.

Better uses of the power from the dams will also enhance the state’s economy especially in developing industries and other synergistic applications which would generate better return of investments from the construction of the dams.

Building of dams in Sarawak was one of the state’s strategies to attract investments, especially for industries requiring vast energy input at reasonable rates. Given the state’s low population base, distances from major markets and limited infrastructures, the dams were to act as a catalyst for foreign investments to the state. But these investments opportunities take time to mature.

With the global trend of going green, hydro energy will certainly have a distinct advantage in the future as it is environmentally friendly, abundant and relatively cheap over a long period of time. Hopefully, Sarawak’s hydro lakes will experience more development – which will augur well for the state and its people – following the study tour to Canada. PHILIP WONG PAK MING Kuching