The RM5 billion Nenggiri Hydroelectric Project located in Kelantan is expected to supplement renewable energy for Malaysia, and also potentially generate 2,000 new jobs, on top of mitigating flood issues in the state. But for the Orang Asli in Gua Musang who call the area home, the project will submerge up to 5,834 hectares of forest that are their cultural lands, and force them to leave their homeland. They also believe the mega dam project will erase the historical trace of Orang Asli Temiar in West Malaysia, among many other issues. We speak to lawyer Seira Sacha Abu Bakar, the Chairperson of the Committee on Orang Asli Rights for the Malaysian Bar, for updates about the project, including how the recent Nenggiri archaeological excavation works by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) unearthed artefacts including skeletal remains dating back 14000 years, making the site older than where the Perak Man was found.

<p>The RM5 billion Nenggiri Hydroelectric Project located in Kelantan is expected to supplement renewable energy for Malaysia, and also potentially generate 2,000 new jobs, on top of mitigating flood issues in the state. But for the Orang Asli in Gua Musang who call the area home, the project will submerge up to 5,834 hectares of forest that are their cultural lands, and force them to leave their homeland. They also believe the mega dam project will erase the historical trace of Orang Asli Temiar in West Malaysia, among many other issues. We speak to lawyer Seira Sacha Abu Bakar, the Chairperson of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.malaysianbar.org.my/list/about-us/committees/committee-on-orang-asli-rights">Committee on Orang Asli Rights</a> for the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.malaysianbar.org.my/">Malaysian Bar</a>, for updates about the project, including how the recent Nenggiri archaeological excavation works by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) unearthed artefacts including skeletal remains dating back 14000 years, making the site older than where the Perak Man was found.</p>

Climate change, ferocious weather and ‘the haze’ are now part our everyday lives. How are our lifestyles connected to them, and what can we do about it? What does the economy have to do with it? Earth Matters engages with activists and experts to explore our changing relationship with the planet that we only borrow from our children.

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