Study on groundwater reserve
Published on: Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: The Kadamaian River in Kota Belud will be among five river basins in the country to be part of a Mineral and Geoscience Department study to determine the amount of groundwater reserve in the country. Its Director General Mior Sallehhudin Mior Jadid said the study, which comes under the Eleventh Malaysia Plan, was important as groundwater can be the alternative or conjunctive source to surface water stored in dams and reservoirs. Mior said less than five per cent groundwater source could have been tapped in the country.
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"At present we are not sure the amount of groundwater reserve but based on the study carried out by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) in the 1980s, there are around five billion litres underneath the Malaysian soil. "Although, we could not be ascertain how Jica had arrived at the figure, the study over the next four to five years will provide us the answers," he said. Mior said this during a seminar on 'Mainstreaming Groundwater into Public Water Supply System' here on Tuesday. Also present was the Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry Permanent Secretary Datuk Datu Rusmadi Sulai who was representing the Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.
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Groundwater source has grown in importance due to the water crisis that has hit the country over the years due to extended drought spells like El Nino and this had forced the government to source for a new supply of water. In relation to this, Mior said the allocation of looking for groundwater source was increased by the Federal Government to RM63 million under the 11MP compared to a combined RM68 million allocation made from the Fifth to Tenth Malaysia Plan by the government.
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And from this allocation, he said around RM41 million will be allocated to build 200 new wells, with around 40 wells a year over the period. "We are also looking to expand the study to 33 new river basins under the 12th Malaysia Plan," he said. Mior also said the department is also looking for ways to channel the groundwater source to problematic dams and reservoirs in the country, adding that there are around two such facilities in Sabah, with water level readings becoming critical. He noted that groundwater source can also solve the burning of peat soil areas during hot spells by keeping the earth wet and records have shown the department had successfully carried out such exercise. The department to date has developed over 200 tube wells in water stressed areas in the rural, isolated villages and schools in the west coast and the Interior Divisions. Minister, Masidi earlier in his speech noted that the groundwater can be the solution to water shortages in Sabah as Sabah dams often reach critical levels during the drought season."Groundwater is a natural water resource with unique characteristics that make it suitable to be developed as an alternative water supply. "It is resilient to the drought because it reacts very slowly to the changes of hot and wet seasons and therefore able to accommodate," he said. Based on the data released by Unesco, 95 per cent of readily available water is in the ground and developed nations have already been using it extensively, some up to 100 per cent, said Masidi. He also called on the department to carry out a study on the groundwater supply in Kota Belud and Ranau to provide a sense of security in times of crisis. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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