Don’t panic, guys, it will be okay!
It is forecasted that the state of Terengganu will be hit by a serious dry spell and floods in the next five or 10 years!
Photo via The Malaysian Reserve
Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences, Sultan Zainal Abidin University (UniSZA), Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Khairul Amri Kamarudin said they should exercise prudent use of water supply, as well as for the relevant authorities to make the necessary preparations, including in managing the Lake Kenyir Dam, Syarikat Air Terengganu Sdn Bhd (SATU) and the Lembaga Sumber Air Terengganu (LAUT).
He told BERNAMA, Terengganu has the Kenyir Dam, which is one of the largest dams in the Southeast Asia region and it plays an important role in the management of water resources in the Terengganu River Basin.
Photo via NST
Khairul added: “Prior to the construction of a dam, various studies, such as the environmental impact assessment (EIA) have been conducted, as well as to anticipate the impact and role of dams in addressing drought of flood issues on the ecosystem.”
Recently, the National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM) said that Terengganu will experience severe drought between 2025 and 2030 due to the El Nino phenomenon, followed by more frequent floods between 2030 and 2035 in line with the emergence of La Nina.
This is the result of an evaluation report made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) using the ‘big data’ method.
Commenting further, Mohd Khairul Amri said that SATU, as the water operator in Terengganu also needed to be prepared through planning to face the drought, even though the state has many water resources.
He also said that the Kenyir Dam had proven to be very effective in controlling the water flow during the big floods in Terengganu in 2014.
However, more thorough preparations need to be made so that floods due to heavy rainfall in other districts can be minimised to reduce losses, he added.
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
