This report discusses the concept and progress of IWRM ⁄ IRBM in Malaysia, with a subsequent focus on the problems and challenges facing Lake Chini, one of the two largest freshwater lakes in the country. Lake Chini is located within the Pahang River Basin, the largest river basin in Peninsular Malaysia. The lake is a popular tourist destination, and the various infrastructure developments needed to enhance its marketability have resulted in degradation of the natural environment, as well as infestation of aquatic plants over most of the lakes' surface area. This report also discusses the need for integrated basin management as the logical approach for holistic management of the entire Pahang River Basin, in order to ensure the management of Lake Chini for sustainable use, including retention of its importance, not only for eco-tourism, but also as the source of the livelihood of the indigenous people living in the lake ecosystem and catchment area.
This paper assessed and compared physicochemical profiles and biodiversity indices of two shallow lakes namely the natural Bera Lake and Bukit Merah reservoir in Peninsular Malaysia. Variations in relation to hydro-meteorological variables, including rainfall, wind speed and air temperature were also measured during the field sampling. The results showed clear distinctions between natural and man-made lakes in terms of physical and chemical properties of lake waters and their relationships to the hydro-meteorological dynamic. Persistent oxygen and temperature differences between the epilimnion and hypolimnion were clearly detected in Bukit Merah reservoir under low winds and strong heat. Oxycline also persist during flooding or high turbidity levels indicating their enriched bottom waters. On the other hand, the natural Bera lake showed temporary stratification during the dry season with low winds but the water columns were thoroughly mixed during the wet season when the water temperature was lower and wind speed was higher. Plankton diversity in Bera lake was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the Bukit Merah reservoir, probably due to the much longer history of the natural lake compared to the man-made one. Due to the longer residence time of the reservoir compared to the natural lake, the former tends to be more vulnerable to eutrophication if subjected to uncontrolled nutrient enrichment.
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