The Pergau Dam : Malaysia Essay, Research Paper

v

Located along the River Pergau in the very most northern

part of Sumatra, a Malyaian isle, near the Thai border. v

It is the most costly aid project ever funded by the

British Government, over the half the total cost of £415 M was pasi by the

British Government v

Building began in 1981 with money from the UK foreign aid

budget. v

It had been a highly controversial project because: 1. Electricity

had been produced there that will not benefit the poorest Malaysians, most of

it will go to the capital, Kuala Lumpur, now a major financial centre for the

South-East Aisian economy. 2. It is tied

aid, the Malaysian Governement agreed a huge arms contract with the British

Government supplying them military aircraft. 3. The dam has

harmful environmental effects, although the reservoir creatd by the dam has not

displaced local people, it has destroyed large ares of rainforest.

Deforestation has led to erosion as the rainwater has stripped away the

topsoil. Already the soil has started to silt up the River Pegau and its

tributaries and the reservoir behind the dam. The deforestation also threatens

the livesof rare animals, including the Sumatran rhino and tiger. 4. Also the

roadsdriven through the region for building electricity pylons have opened up

new areas previously unaccessible to commercail logging companies, causing

further environmental destruction. v

In November 1994 a High Court ruled as illegal British

foreign secretary Douglas Hurd?s allocation of £234 million towards the funding

of the dam, on the grounds that it was not of economic or humanitarian benefit

to the Malaysian people. Location Map: Barney Jones