Emerging Issues Towards Sustainable River Basin Management in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Abstract

Environmental problems arise when land is altered for economic activities. Normally,
development itself is not the cause of the problems, but non-strategic planning in the area.
Based on the results of interviews with local respondents, a number of critical water related
problems were identified. Soil erosion was highlighted as the most serious issue by respondents
at 68.9%. Degradation of water quality and degradation of freshwater ecosystems ranked second
and third at 65.1% and 61.0% respectively; while water shortage was 50.0%. Problems
associated with agricultural solid waste and water borne diseases were 46.2% and 23.6%.
In terms of the causes of water problems, the respondents gave seven areas. The highest
score was haphazard planning and development (74.5%), followed by land erosion (68.9%) and
degradation of water quality (65.1%). In addition, respondents mentioned water shortage
(50.0%), a low level of awareness among the local community (61.3%), degradation of
ecosystems (61.0%), and uncontrolled water abstraction upstream (54.7%) as being major
causes.
With rapid urbanization in the Cameron Highlands, issues relating to water and other
natural resources are expected to intensify and thus, need to be addressed in an integrated
manner, such as through Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM). The study‟s findings
provide an overview of water issues in the area and will be important in formulating IRBM
strategies. However, the success of IRBM implementation requires political will and
commitment from all stakeholders at all levels, especially local government. The
recommendations put forward in this study are intended for policymakers and researchers of the
River Basin Authority to further explore water related problems and to enable greater public
participation in environmental and water issues.