Pahang, Malaysia. Mohammad Imam ... Page 15. Land Use Change in Semantan River Basin, 2000-2014 ... Flooding decreased due to dam Critical recent time.
Sustainable water management in Pahang, Malaysia Mohammad Imam Hasan Reza, PhD MSCP Visiting Scholar
Contents Introduction Problem statement Research question Methodology Results/findings Conclusion Policy recommendations
Malaysia
Semantan River Basin
Recreation
Fish & Wildlife
Domestic/municipal
Irrigation
Hydrologic
Thermal /Electric
Industry
Industries in the upstream areas (Pollution) Extensive agriculture (river bank erosion, sedimentation) Development activities (i.e., sand mining) Raw water transfer tunnel (transferring water to Selangor)
Sand Mining
Riverbank erosion
Resulting turbidity of water
Declining fish stock
RESEARCH QUESTION How can water security be ensured at the community level?
Methods Identifying the Causes of Water Scarcity Rainfall time series data
Land Use Change Spatial Analyses
Community Responses to Ensure Water Security Semi-structured Interview
Observation and Documentation
Identifying Gaps for Sustainable Water Management Review and Content Analysis
Comparison with Global/Regional Initiatives
Findings: Rainfall data Total Rainfall in Temerloh 1985-2014 450
25.00
400 20.00
TOTAL RAINFALL/MM
350 300
15.00
250 200
10.00
150
Data Missing
100
5.00
50 0
0.00 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Min
Source: MetMalaysia
Total
Decrease in water supply is not due to climatic factors
Land Use Change in Semantan River Basin, 2000-2014
Changes in Land Use, Semantan River Basin, 2000-2014 60
40
2000
% used
2010 2014
20
0 Agriculture
Forests
Swamp/wetlands
Cleared land
Land use
Urban & Built up areas
Scrub
Description of water problem (e.g. reduced water quality, flooding, etc.)
Water problem
Water problem
Water problem
Water problem
Water problem
Interesting Remarks
Supply water has odor sometimes, sometimes less force
flooding during the months of Dec- January • Before establishment of dam they experienced flood quite a number of times
Upstream water quality good, but fishes reduced significantly in the recent time Downstream water quality is bad: water is not clear, turbid, decrease in fish proportion, many fishes disappeared
Level of water is becoming low year by year
Decrease in flow current, changes the river ecosystem
• • •
income was very high 10 years ago But now they earn only 1000-1500 per month. During rainy season- it’s hard for him to catch fish
Views: Fishermen Reason of the problem in their opinion
PAIP Management, Change in climate, Kerau Dam, river pollution, sand river management, cutting of mining trees,
Pollution upstream, there is a paper industry and other industries effluents, sand mining in the downstream
Sand mining, dam
--
•
nearby dam helped a lot to avoid flood.
Source of water
Pahang River
Semantan River
Semantan River
Semantan River
Semantan River
•
Once they used the Semantan river water directly for their household use even they drink, but last 10-15 years rapidly changes to dirty water
Population affected
Households, farmers
All
General people, fisherman, farmers
Farmers, fishermen
Economy
Change in water problem over time?
Having little problem
Flooding decreased due to dam
Critical recent time
Last five years severe
Last 10 years
Challenges faced by community (i) Lack of environmental awareness at all levels (community, state and federal) (ii) Fragmented land use and water planning + poor implementation (iii) Lack of community participation
Good Practices A structured and disciplined local leadership have been observed which can be used for the betterment of the society Community/local people have good preparation and are ready to adapt with the changes and extreme situation
Conclusion and Recommendations Lack of understanding of the value of wetlands and ecosystems Lack of balanced and sustainable land use planning disrupting the quality and quantity of water Poor water management practices are the main cause of hindering the water security It is important to educate local communities (awareness building) on the value of wetlands and ecosystems to protect water pollution and preserving the environment Need to increase stakeholder participation in policymaking and implementation National policy should give priority to protect natural systems for sustainable water management
Thank You
