Amidst the floods that have plagued Terengganu in recent months, it has been forecasted that the state will face a severe drought followed by frequent floods in the next five to 15 years!
Speaking with Bernama, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences, Sultan Zainal Abidin University (UniSZA), Associate Professor Dr Mohd Khairul Amri Kamarudin explained that due to the El Nino and La Nina phenomenon, Terengganu is expected to face severe drought between 2025 and 2030 and frequent floods between 2030 and 2035.
The state needs to manage the Lake Kenyir Dam, Syarikat Air Terengganu Sdn Bhd (SATU) and the Lembaga Sumber Air Terengganu (LAUT) in preparations of these natural occurrences.
“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 or flood issues on the ecosystem.
“Usually, the results of the study will give an ideal value to the dam management to release water in various situations, including during the drought to ensure the survival of habitats in risky areas,” he told Bernama recently.
And while the Kenyir Dam has proven to be effective when combating floods, as shown during the big floods in Terengganu back in 2014, Mohd Khairul Amri commented that more thorough preparations need to be done in order to minimise damage and floods in all districts.
“The dam management lowered the water level in the lake to make early preparations to receive high rainfall at the beginning of the monsoon season and as a result, the residential areas near Sungai Terengganu such as Kuala Terengganu, Kuala Nerus and part of Marang were not flooded at that time.”
“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 said.
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