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Build small dams in the upper reaches of rivers

It is good that the government is looking into flood mitigation measures to reduce the impact of the perennial flooding in the east coast states during the North-East Monsoon. The floods are an annual occurrence and nuisance and only the intensity varies from year to year and this time it appears to have been the severest due to climate change and also because the South China Sea has become a violent and volatile region lately with natural disasters.

Not much can be done if the delay is due to record-breaking downpours. De-silting or deepening rivers has only limited impact. Even pristine areas can get flooded if the rains are exceptionally heavy.

A better way to control flooding is to build small dams upstream wherever the topography allows it to ensure impounding of the water, which would otherwise flow downstream and damage the low-lying areas where most of the people live. The sole purpose of these small dams should be to hold back the water gushing down from the upper terrains which receive the most rainfall and emptied afterwards.

The NE Monsoon lasts for a very short time and the region becomes dry again. It is somewhat like the Indian Monsoon. Provided many small dams are built under the five-year Malaysia Plan, it will be possible to control the floods and the region could develop and progress faster, as the floods are a disadvantage. Logging should be confined to the first three months of the year so as to enable the denuded areas to be rehabilitated with vegetation naturally.

Freshly denuded areas could cause a lot of soil to wash down the streams and tributaries and add to the problems.

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