Nik Ab. Majid, Nik Muhamad

Yusoff, Mohd Kamil

Universiti Putra Malaysia Institutional Repository

UPM Research Report 1997-2000, Vol II, Section 2-EJdended AbstractsIntegrated Upland Forested Watershed ManagementNlicMuhamad MaJId' and Mohd !\amll Yu5Ofi'"I Faculty of Forestry, 2Faculty of Science and Environmental StudiesUniversiti Putra Malaysia43400 UPM, Serdang, SelangorMalaysiaTelephone Number of Corresponding Author: 03-894672 J JE-mailojCorrespondingAuthor:nik@forr.upm.edu.myKey words: Hydrology, Soil erosion, River, Water quality, HighlandIntroductionVarious attempts have been made to study the characteristics of upland forested watershed in Malaysia (Nik Muhamad et al.,1994, Mohd Zaki and Nik Muhamad, 1998). Not many of the previous studies conducted in Malaysia are in an integratedmanner which comprise of various related disciplines (Lai, 1985). Watershed should be treated as a management unit and thusthe development (includes rehabilitation) of watershed resources should be considered what is socially, culturally, physically,chemically and biologically acceptable (Goze et al., 1985).Related research has been conducted to evaluate the hydrological priorities of watershed development as far as water resourcesis concerned (Wan Nor Azmin et al., I995)and also the evaluation of impacts of logged-over forest on selected environmentalparameters (Mohd Kamil et al., 1999). The results from the above study showed that more areas of investigation should beconsidered in order to come up with more concrete recommendations for upland forest watershed management.Materials and MethodsFieldwork activities was carried out by establishing a common sampling loactions for water and hydrological measurementswithin the Pelauur and Tau-u River Basin and the respective data was collected and integrated. All the related in-situ datapertaining to the study sites and vicinity was collected.The analysis includes soil, water and hydrologic regime. The analysis and sampling procedures were based on the standardmethods for each respective areas. All the data and information obtained from the fieldwork were statistically analyseResults and DiscussionThe topography within the proposed site can be classified as undulating to steep terrain with slopes ranging from 6° - >20°, andat a height of about 1,000 - 1,300 metres a.s.1. About 15% of the area have slopes ranging from 6° - 12°,68% have slopesranging from 12° - 20° while 17% have >200 slopes.The project site is located within the Pelauur and Tau-u River Basin, to the west of the Belatop River Basin. About 80% of thetotal 1,917 acres is within the Pelauur River Basin and the balance of 20% is within the Tau-u River Basin. These two riversflow into Sg. Brook, one of the upper tributary of Sg. Neggiri which is one of the major rivers in Kelantan. The rivers in thishilly area are mostly shallow, narrow and fast flowing.Currently, the hydrological system of the area is not degraded and considered active. This could be due to the highly vegetatedarea, high annual precipitation and undisturbed soil condition that led to high infiltration. The velocity of water flow in most ofthe tributaries are high which indicates insignificant interference existed to the system and also due to the steep gradient.The main soil series in the area is Ringlet series with clayey laom texture on the surface, while sandy clay loam occupies thedeeper layers. As the area receives high rainfall and exists on steep slopes, it is subjected to high erosion risk and slope failure.Under natural forest condition, erosion is minimal. However, the cutting and filling expected in carrying out this project willpose high risk to the area and the downstream activities. Intensive land clearing and soil disturbance for construction of theinfrastructures required in this project will increase the erosion magnitude. The estimated soil loss during the constructionstage is 260 tonnes/ha/year. This figure far exceeds the acceptable rate for Malaysia which is 1-8 tonnes/ha/year.Water quality assessment was conducted at various locations along Sg. Pelauur, Sg. Tau-u and Sg. Ledled. The samplingpoints were selected in such locations to cover the upstream and downstream of the project site. Currently, the water quality ofthe area is categorized as Class Il,ConclusionsPelauur and Tau-u river basins are located in a hilly area and has steep slopes at the edge. Based on the high total annualrainfall for this area, Sg. Pelauur becomes one of the most important rivers which supplying water to other areas.Due to the high precipitation experienced in Malaysia and situated on steep slopes, the major environmental risks within thestudy sites are mainly water-induced problems. Therefore, the area is subjected to high erosion risk and slope failure(including landslides and rock fails).Overall, according to the classification based on the water quality index (DOE-WQI) method, the river at the project area canbe categorized as Class II which only needs conventional treatment for water supply and is able to cater to sensitive aquaticspecies.250Agricultural SciencesBenefits from the studyManagement strategies for highland development projects especially concerning with environmental conservation.Patent(s), if applicable:NilStage of Commercialization, if applicable:NilProject Publications in Refereed Journals:Not yet publishedProject Publications in Conference Proceedings:Not yet publishedIRPA Project numberO 1-02-04-0481UPM Research Cluster:AFF251

Integrated upland forested watershed management

http://psasir.upm.edu.my/42194/1/intergrated%20upland%20forest.pdf

Integrated upland forested watershed management

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