BEL 313 - Claims, Reasons, Contentions, Objections

Bismillah, 

Regarding the BEL 313 assignment 1, I've chosen a topic on natural disasters. Here are the example of articles and news where we can find the Claims, Reasons, Contentions and Objections. I've provided some example as a guidance. Good Luck! :D

CAMERON HIGHLANDS -- The Ringlet reservoir’s water holding capacity has greatly decreased due to the high volume of rubbish, sand and silt sedimented on the lake floor.

Consequently, the man-made lake that holds water to power up the Sultan Abu Bakar Hydroelectric Dam has now become a time bomb  (*claim 1) that can inundate and devastate lives, areas and property as it can no longer sustain a downpour to its original capacity. (*reason 1)

TNB Cameron Highlands Power Stations General Manager Mustafa Hashim said the TNB had taken up the issue with relevant agencies and acknowledged that the Sultan Abu Bakar dam could overflow any day now.

"Another huge risk is that the intake screen to the Sultan Yussuf power station tunnel clogs up (claim 2)  due to the sheer volume of the rubbish there, such as farming waste, plastics and ropes (reason 2)," explained Mustafa, who has been working at the Cameron Highlands since 2011.

CLOGGED UP     

Water must pass through an intake screen which is six metres high and 12 metres wide, before flowing into the tunnel at the power station. When the screen is clogged up, water cannot get into the tunnel to power up the hydroelectric dam.Mustafa said cleaning up work at the intake screen is carried out regularly and quite effective. (contention 2) The operation is also expensive.One of the cleaning methods used was “raking”, in which the rubbish is removed manually from the intake screen to the tunnel. This operation is carried out when the station finds the level of water passing through the screen decreasing.The cleaning system requires an experienced diver to dive in and remove the rubbish only at night. ( objection 2) This operation cannot be carried out during the day as the dam operates as per a “peaking” system.Peaking allows water to be stored in the reservoir and then released to generate electricity during peak demand periods.  "Whether a screen is clogged is known as a result of screen monitoring carried out at the control room at the Sultan Yussuf power station at the 19th Mile. The water levels at the reservoir and the intake screen are monitored by workers on a shift basis regularly," he said.     

                                                                                                                       

COUNTER MEASURES     

The sediment blanketing the actual depth of the Ringlet reservoir has prevented the Sultan Abu Bakar dam from generating electricity at its full capacity.

On the night of the incident, the water level at the dam was only a metre below the maximum level. One can only imagine the risk if it had hit the maximum mark. (contention 1)

The government had quickly responded to the disaster that ensued and taken measures to prevent its recurrence.

The 2014 Budget tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Oct 25 saw an allocation of RM40 million to widen and deepen the Bertam River.  – BERNAMA

·      

Ringlet tragedy a sign of worse things to come

TRAGEDY AT THE CAMERON HIGHLANDS. It was not a natural disaster but a man-made one

KUALA LUMPUR: Raub MP Mohamad Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz today urged Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) to provide an explanation on circumstances surrounding yesterday’s mud flood at Cameron Highlands which claimed three lives.

Mohamad Ariff said if the company had done monitoring works adequately, it would have noticed the rise in water levels.

“Why was the water level in the dam not monitored?  If TNB had monitored the water level, I don’t think it would be necessary for an emergency release to be done,” he said, adding that water levels do not simply rise up in an instant. 

Yesterday, about 80 houses on the fringes of the Bertam River near Cameron Highlands were swept away by strong currents after water was released from the Sultan Abu Bakar Dam in Ringlet.

Two foreigners and a Malaysian have been confirmed dead while another foreigner is still missing.Cameron Highlands’ district police chief, DSP Mohd Zahari Wan Busu said the water in the dam had to be released to prevent it from bursting following continuous downpour since 7pm yesterday. Mohd Zahari said about 100 vehicles were also badly damaged in the incident.

“The first release was made at midnight followed by another at 1am and the third at 2.45am, causing water in the Bertam River to suddenly overflow its banks,” he said.

Mohamad Ariff stressed that if TNB had monitored the water levels appropriately, the extent of damage on life and property could have been reduced.“TNB could have warned people in time, reducing harm to life and property. It should have taken steps to reduce the damage,” he said.

“Also, how come the dam’s construction was so fragile, which led to yesterday’s incident?” he asked.He also expressed hope for his emergency motion 18(1) of the standing orders’ application to be approved.

“If the motion is approved, we will debate the matter on Monday next week,” he said.

·       

100 vehicles, 80 houses swept away by strong currents.

About 80 houses on the fringes of the Bertam river, near Cameron Highlands, were swept away by strong currents after water was released from the Sultan Abu Bakar dam, in Ringlet, early this morning. Two foreign nationals were found drowned in the incident while another is still missing.Cameron Highlands district police chief Mohd Zahari Wan Busu said the victims were identified as Bangladeshi Jahangir, in his 30s, and an Indonesian woman, Kesmat, 46.

He said the dam water in Ringlet had to be released to prevent the dam from bursting following heavy and continuous rain since 7pm yesterday.

“The first release of water at the dam was made at midnight followed by another at 1am and the third at 2.45am, causing water in the Bertam River nearby to suddenly overflow its banks,” he said.

Mohd Zahari said about 100 vehicles were also badly damaged in the incident. According to him, 20 families in the area were evacuated to the Ringlet community hall.“The bodies of the two victims were sent to Sultanah Kalsom Hospital in Cameron Highlands,” he said.

“The bodies of the two victims were sent to Sultanah Kalsom Hospital in Cameron Highlands,” he said.

Mohd Zahari said following information received on the incident, a search and rescue operation was carried out as early as 7.30am today, with 243 rescue personnel involved in the operation.

· 

Flood in India a man-cause or natural disaster

Dehradun:  As Uttarakhand grapples with one of the worst natural disasters the state has faced in recent years, questions are being raised on whether a lot of the destruction was man-made.
Indiscriminate development in the hill towns, with guest houses, hotels and all manners of illegal encroachment taking place along the rivers, it was a disaster waiting to happen. Since 2002 there has been a ban on building within 100 meters of the river bed.

But also in focus is the Uttarakhand government's resistance to declaring an environmentally fragile area as 'Eco Sensitive' and whether the state government was prioritising commercial concerns over the environment.

In December 2012, the Centre declared the 100 kms stretch along the Bhagirathi river from Gangotri to Uttarkashi an 'Eco Sensitive Zone' which meant no development was permitted there.

However, in May 2013 Chief Minister Vijay Bahugana met the Prime Minister along with a delegation of his ministers and gave him a letter asking that the notification be taken back. The Chief Minister argued that the move was being opposed by the people who lived in the area as it would deny them the much needed development and infrastructure, and would also restrict the number of tourists, which would be a blow to the state's economy.

He also said that stopping construction would affect national security as the region, which borders China, is strategically significant and roads are needed for the movement of Army personnel and supplies.

And it's not just the Congress that's opposed to the 'Eco Sensitive' zone. In 2011, BJP Chief Minster Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank had also written a letter to the Environment Minster, opposing any move to notify an 'Eco Sensitive zone'. The state assembly, cutting across party lines, had unanimously passed a resolution, opposing any move to declare the Gangotri-Uttarkashi stretch as an 'Eco Sensitive' zone.

But with the state currently reeling from a disaster, the full impact of which is still unknown, Uttarakhand will have to face difficult questions over its choices and may have to rethink its priorities.

Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, two hill states in the Himalayan range, are so far the worst hit by the extreme rains that struck northern India in the wake of monsoons that set in early this year. Media reports say nearly 60 persons have died in Uttarakhand, and an estimated 60,000 pilgrims are stranded. Heavy rainfall has wreaked havoc on the region because of the fragile nature of the Himalayan range and poor soil stability in its steep slopes.  But it is man-made factors that have compounded the scale of the disaster. Unabated expansion of hydro-power projects and construction of roads to accommodate ever-increasing tourism, especially religious tourism, are also major causes for the unprecedented scale of devastation, say experts.

"The valleys of the Yamuna, the Ganga and the Alaknanda witness heavy traffic of tourists. For this, the government has to construct new roads and widen the existing ones," says Maharaj Pandit, professor with the Department of Environmental Sciences in Delhi University. He says that a study should be conducted to assess the carrying capacity of the Himalaya and development should be planned accordingly

Ringlet dam disaster: Man-made mistakes contributed to deluge, says Reach
The Star 24 Oct 13;

PETALING JAYA: Heavy rain and persistent land clearing over the past few years probably contributed to the need to release more water from the Sultan Abu Bakar dam, says Regional Environmental Awareness Cameron Highlands (Reach) president R. Ramakrishnan.

He added that land clearing upstream of the dam would have created erosion and contributed to heavy sedimentation.“These are all man-made mistakes. The siltation caused the water level in the dam to rise while the sand also damaged its turbines,” he said in an interview.

Ramakrishnan, who has constantly spoken out against ongoing land clearing in Cameron Highlands, warned that the same thing could happen nearthe new UluJelai hydroelectric dam if massive land clearing went unchecked.
“Should the UluJelai dam be required to release excess water, Lipis can be flooded,” he added.
Ramakrishnan said many farms were swept away in the torrent of water in yesterday’s incident.

However, he claimed that the farms were illegal because they had been set up on the river reserve despite the existence of TNB signboards warning farmers against doing so.
“No structure is supposed to be built in that particular area, while no human activity should take place on river reserves,”  he added.

CAMERONS DAM DEBACLE: Why was warning given so late

KUALA LUMPUR - Opposition politicians are demanding answers to the Cameron Highlands tragedy, where national utility TNB's release of water from a dam in Ringlet had triggered a disaster,  causing damage to property, motor vehicles and the loss of at least 3 lives.

The massive swathe of water that cascaded out of the Sultan Abu Bakar Dam early on Wednesday morning swept away at least 80 homes, damaged more than 100 vehicles, while the bodies of two foreigners and one Malaysian have been recovered. 

It is believed that a Search and Rescue operation, which had to be called off last night due to bad weather, has resumed and they are looking for the body of a 17-year-old Indonesian girl.

"We praise the effort and work by the fire and rescue team," Azmin Ali, the MP for Gombak and deputy president of the People's Justice Party or PKR, said in a statement.

"Although no one is questioning the need to open the dam to prevent it from breaking, we are very worried by the procedures used for releasing the dam water."

Why wait until mid-nite to sound warning?

Calling for an investigation and the government to make public its findings, Azmin demanded to know why there had been "no appropriate and adequate warning" issued to the residents and workers in the area.

"What other security measures can be taken to ensure that such disasters are kept at bay," said Azmin, extending his condolences to the families of those who perished and his solidarity with the other victims whom must now rebuild their lives.

"Who actually had the authority to order the release and why did the authorities wait until midnight before sounding a warning signal? Those responsible must provide an explanation to the public."

Tragedy always nearby, but is the dam-opening a man-made debacle?

Ringlet is one of the 3 main towns that make up tourist hub Cameron Highlands, which is very popular with overseas visitors especially from the West who come to enjoy its cold weather and serene quietness.

Like sister hill-resort Genting Highlands, tragedy is no stranger and usually from massive landslides and bus accidents. The latest disaster will not help to boost Camerons' attractiveness to tourists, either domestic or international.

According to the district police chief DSP MohdZahari Wan Busu, the water had to be released to prevent the dam from bursting following continuous rain since 7pm on Tuesday.

Zahari said 20 families in the area were evacuated to the Ringlet community hall, while a Search and Rescue operation was carried out as early as 7.30am Wednesday involving 243 personnel.

"The first release of water at the dam was made at midnight followed by another at 1am and the third at 2.45am, causing water in the Bertam River nearby to suddenly overflow its banks," said Zahari.

Cover up?

Meanwhile, national power firm Tenaga National Berhad has issued a statement that the release of the dam water was carried out in accordance with fixed procedures.

TNB said the "controlled release of water was done to prevent flooding in the entire Bertam Valley." 

Heavy rain overnight and flash flooding around Ringlet had caused an oveflow of water into the dam resulting in the water level exceeding the permitted maximum threshold, the statement said.

TNB also said its staff took all the needed steps including liaising with the security authorities, local authority and the head of Bertam Valley's village security and development committee (JKKK) before opening the dam.

Nonetheless, residents at the affected areas who were initially in shock at seeing their homes and property deluged are now starting to question TNB.

Many want compensation for their losses. They are also angry at what they perceive to be a major mess-up by the authorities. They do not want any cover-up as they believe they could have been killed.Meanwhile, the government-controlled media has been careful to describe the disaster as a "flash flood" so as to imply a natural catastrophe.

.