Ministry highlights issues impeding rural electrification
KUCHING: Wayleave and land dispute challenges continue to impede the progress of electrification in Sarawak.
“These delays are due to a variety of factors with the main challenge being wayleave or access issues caused by village land disputes, grievances between neighbouring villages, overlapping claims and access by plantation operators to the rural electrification team.
“In several areas, including Bukit Limau that was highlighted in a recent video, poles erected along roads and nearby longhouses and villages ready for stringing and energisation were subsequently halted temporarily as new wayleave disputes arose, thus delaying the completion and energisation of the lines,” the Ministry of Utilities said in a statement yesterday.
The ministry revealed that other areas facing delayed completion of electrification projects include villages in Sri Aman, Saratok, Song, Kanowit and rural Bintulu areas such as Sebauh and Tatau, outer parts of Miri including Bakong, Tinjar and Baram as well as parts of Mukah.
“As a result, rural communities in these affected areas are denied access to reliable 24-hour electricity,” the statement added.
The ministry said that together with relevant agencies such as Land and Survey Department, Public Works Department (JKR), Resident and District offices, they are continuously engaging with communities and stakeholders to resolve these wayleave issues.
“The cooperation of all stakeholders is needed for Sarawak Energy to execute and implement these rural electrification projects to meet the state’s vision for full coverage by 2025,” it said.
Meanwhile, its minister Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom called on landowners and villagers to work together with the ministry and Sarawak Energy on solutions to resolve land access matters so that no Sarawakian would be left in the dark.
“The successful implementation of electrifying Sarawak especially in rural communities requires collaboration and cooperation between all stakeholders, which include landowners,” he was quoted as saying in the same statement.
The Sarawak government, through the Ministry of Utilities and its implementing agency Sarawak Energy, aims to fully electrify Sarawak by 2025 and is on track to achieve almost 99 per cent overall electrification for the state and 96 per cent rural electrification coverage by this year.