Malaysian dam project threatens world heritage park: activists

The Tutoh dam is part of plans for 12 new hydroelectric projects in Sarawak and with the 2,400 megawatt Bakun Dam project, will increase the state's total power generating capacity by 600 percent in 2020, the Star reported. by Staff Writers Kuala Lumpur (AFP) July 23, 2008 Malaysia's plan to build a series of hydroelectric dams on Borneo island threatens the World Heritage status of a key national park, environmentalists warned Wednesday. Parts of Mulu National Park in Sarawak state would be flooded if the proposed 220 megawatt hydropower plant on the Tutoh river went ahead, said Swiss-based group the Bruno Manser Fund (BMF). Activists warned the damage would change the boundary of the park, which could see its World Heritage status revoked under the regulations of the UN cultural body UNESCO. The sensitive 52,864 hectare... [read full story]