Integrated lake basin management and its importance for Lake Chini and other lakes in Malaysia

Abstract

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.

Lakes of Malaysia: Water quality, eutrophication and management

“…As lakes generally act as sinks for pollutants flowing into them from their surrounding catchments, managing their watersheds is a key driver for successfully controlling lake eutrophication (Holdren et al . ; Nakamura ; Sharip & Jusoh ). Strategies involving sustainable watershed and land‐use management practices can improve water quality and reduce eutrophication, while also maintaining socio‐economic expansion (Holdren et al .…”

“…The fragmented approach to management of water bodies, including lakes and their surrounding catchments, arises from the responsibilities that were undertaken by multiple, and often non‐coordinated, authorities (Sharip & Zakaria ). This factor contributed to their limited ability to regulate continuing alteration of the catchment landscape, in addition to deterioration of the lake environment and its resources (Sharip & Jusoh ). Establishment of a dedicated lake management committee at the federal and state levels was one of the important strategies aimed at improving lake basin governance mechanisms and strengthening institutional pillars for ensuring successful implementation of ILBM at the national and state levels.…”

Integrating economic and hydrologic interdependence in reservoir management

“…Aribisala () developed a water forecasting model for hydroelectric generation, reporting that the reservoir water storage for the Kanji hydroelectric station from 1970 to 1987 was lower during the summer months because of peak electricity demand. Sharip and Jusoh (), Suharyanto and Matsushita (), Bamba (), and Tefera and Stroosnijider () discussed the importance of integrated reservoir/watershed management for managing water bodies across the globe, although they did not actually develop any reservoir/watershed management model that considered both market and non‐market water uses.…”

“…Aribisala (2007) developed a water forecasting model for hydroelectric generation, reporting that the reservoir water storage for the Kanji hydroelectric station from 1970 to 1987 was lower during the summer months because of peak electricity demand. Sharip and Jusoh (2010), Suharyanto and Matsushita (2011), Bamba (2011), andTefera andStroosnijider (2007) discussed the importance of integrated reservoir/watershed management for managing water bodies across the globe, although they did not actually develop any reservoir/watershed management model that considered both market and non-market water uses. Akram (2013), Groom andKoundouri (2011), Fisher et al (2008), Harou et al (2009), Pulido-Velazquez et al (2004, Ward (2007Ward ( , 2009Ward ( , 2012 and Ward et al (2006) noted the importance of equimarginal principles for water reallocation in integrated water management efforts.…”

The Characterization of Chlorophyll-A and Microalgae Isolation Process of Wastewater Collected at Sembrong Dam

“…It covers up to 775ha and supplies 55 million litres of treated water via its Sembrong Barat water treatment plant daily [1]. Since that, the water quality control in Sembrong Dam has always been monitored to prevent from water quality deterioration that can affect the treatment water process as well as to provide clean water to peoples.…”