Catchments in Malaysia not retaining water

Christina Chin

The Star

Publication Date : 03-08-2014

Rampant land clearing for development and farming near buffer zones is putting a strain on Malaysias water catchment areas and preventing our dams from filling up despite sporadic rain and cloud seeding efforts.

Forestry and environment experts here have cautioned that unless water catchment areas are gazetted and protected, water basins are in danger of rapidly drying up.

Peninsular Malaysia forestry department director-general Dr Abdul Rahman Abdul Rahim said forests function like sponges to absorb water but the ground could not retain water if there are disturbances to the hydrological cycle caused by development and farming activities in surrounding areas.

The existing minimum 10m buffer zone surrounding water catchments is insufficient.

Buffer zones should vary according to the size of the forests and water bodies, he said, adding that de-gazetting of non-permanent forest reserves came under the state and local authorities jurisdiction.

There are one million hectares of forests under state control which can be developed. As a technical department, we can only advise the state authorities not to (approve development plans) but the final decision is theirs, he explained.

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Catchments in Malaysia not retaining water