Seven dams in four states classified as high-risk

CYBERJAYA: Seven dams in Melaka, Kedah, Penang and Johor have been classified as high-risk in a report on how worsening climate change can affect public water supply, says National Water Services Commission (SPAN) chairman Charles Santiago.

According to Santiago, these were the Pedu and Muda dams in Kedah; the Asahan, Jus and Durian Tunggal dams in Melaka; the Linggiu dam in Johor; and the Mengkuang dam in Penang.

The seven were identified in SPAN’s Dam Water Levels and Dam Water Supplies Risk Assessment Report.

“The dams aren’t at a dangerous level, but the water supply at these dams is at high risk,” Santiago told a press conference at the SPAN office here on Monday (Oct 23).

Santiago said the respective state governments are aware of the issue and are addressing it.

He also said he will meet Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad next week to discuss the report.

Santiago noted that 55 out of 104 dams in Malaysia are utilised for supplying water to the public.

Of the 55, he said 16 are more than 50 years old.

“We don’t know how much dead storage, known as silt, is at the bottom of the dams.

“There’s no way to know because those are very old dams and because of poor maintenance and no proper auditing, this is an issue that we should focus on,” he added.

He said it was important for Putrajaya to review the design and safety of the old dams, as well as for regular maintenance and audits to be carried out.

“A study of active and dead storage needs to be made because… there have been significant changes (from many of the original designs).

“There has to be an internal audit by (the respective) agencies (involved). They must start looking into it now,” he said.

Santiago said climate change was also an important factor to take into account, saying that it had caused water carrying capacity in Kedah’s Sungai Muda, for example, to drop sharply.

“We cannot determine clearly how much rainfall we get. Sometimes… there’s no rain in two months and suddenly, it rains too much in one or two days, (causing) floods in certain areas.”

Sungai Muda is the main raw water source for Kedah and Penang.

“We cannot play with (water supply issues) anymore. We must be serious. We cannot wait for another five years to make a change. We must start now,” Santiago stressed.