Author(s): Mohd. Razali Husain, Asnor Muizan Ishak, Nurhareza Redzuan, Terry Van Kalken, Katherine Brown
Linked Author(s): Asnor Muizan Ishak
Keywords: : River basin, management, modelling, decision support, Malaysia
Abstract: Water resources management in Malaysia faces significant challenges from changing climate, growing population, increased water demand and pollution. Often water planning decisions are made without a full understanding of the impacts in the target and neighboring river basins. In daily operations, river basin managers face difficult decisions in balancing the short and long term demands with the available and predicted supplies in the basin. The National Water Balance System (NAWABS) being developed by the Malaysia Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) aims to provide a comprehensive river basin management instrument to provide river basin managers with the tools and knowledge needed to make better informed planning and operational decisions. The core components of NAWABS are hydrological, hydraulic and basin allocation models which will be used initially to assess the current water availability and demands on a basin scale and determine water management strategies going forward to ensure the adequacy of future supply. These strategies include a range of supply augmentation measures coupled to demand management options during times of water stress. The NAWABS operational system will combine real time data and climate forecasts with the models to provide information on current and projected water availability and demands on a basin scale, including uncertainty and risk. NAWABS will provide multiple functions including current and project water availability, water use accounting, flow dependability, an assessment tool to evaluate short term operation options to ensure for efficient water allocation and a forecasting system and to assist in the decision management process. The NAWABS system is initially being implemented in the Muda River basin, in the northeast sate of Kedah on Peninsular Malaysia. The Muda basin is facing increased water demands from within the basin and neighboring basins, at the same time as long term climate change predicts decreasing rainfall in the future
Year: 2017