Desktop Study on - Regional Climate Change Adaptation ...

<strong>Desktop</strong> <strong>Study</strong>
priority, especially in the next 20-30 years. In
addition, mitigation measures should also be taken
into account and the policy options that could be
explored may be either regulatory or economic in
nature with instruments such as trading permits,
carbon tax and tax rebates. Thus, the challenge lies
in balancing adaptation and mitigation measures.
At Present there is no specific policy for every
economic sector to address the Global Warming-
Climate Change Threat as it affects the individual
sectors (productivity). At best is to adhere to best
practices to minimize environmental degradation
and natural resources exploitation as strategized in
objectives of the 9th Malaysia Plan and the National
Environmental Policy (Salleh, 2007).
Regarding water gaps, information that is needed
to forecast water availability includes improved
estimation of regional population growth, land use
changes, and likely shifts in water demand as a result
of demographic and economic changes. In addition,
improved information on the likely range of climatic
conditions is an important prerequisite for a better
formulation of adaptive and abatement measures
(MOSTE, 2000).
Although it can be said that Malaysia has sufficient
water resources to meet population needs, there
are some water-related problems, related with
managing water effectively to achieve objectives. In
some river basins, there is already the problem of
water shortage especially during periods of prolong
droughts, and conversely, the problem of excessive
water and floods during the wet season. The most
challenging issue is to coordinate activity from
various government agencies and private sector in
managing the watershed. River basin should be the
basic planning unit but now, rivers are managed on
political or administrative boundaries, which do not
provide an overall engineering solution (Husaini,
2007).
Reduction of flood and drought losses has to involve
a number of government agencies and often the
private sector. For example, reservoirs for irrigation,
water supply and flood mitigation have conflicting
operational rules. Development of common
objectives and definition of clear roles for each of
the stakeholders as well as close cooperation and
understanding among is needed to be efficient and
successful. Also, the implementation and formulation
of flood and drought management action plans
cannot be done without cooperative integration of
all stakeholders. (Husaini, 2007).
The MSMA is only a guideline, and DID has
no legal authority to enforce the said manual
as mandatory procedure to local authorities,
developers, contractors etc. Although at present
proposed development programs have been
based on those master plans, few problems rise
during the implementation: local authorities are
facing insufficient technical expertise and financial
limitation to provide adequate maintenance of
constructed drainage systems; developers consider
the utilization of the manual as an increase to the
project’s cost; contractors find that maintenance of
erosion controls and sediment traps are not common
works to them; consultants are still very weak on
the concept of urban stormwater design. Without
widespread application of the manual guidelines,
effective flood and drought management for urban
areas will continue to be hindered (Husaini, 2007).
In the Ninth Malaysia Plan is missing a full chapter
on sustainable water resources management in the
country, that includes an holistic and integrated
approach on water resources management (IWRM
and IRBM); how economic development, unless
properly planned and executed, can exacerbate
pollution, floods, forest fires, develop extreme
climate events following climate change; and
how better integrated, managed, monitored and
enforcements of infrastructure development can
provide not only better returns but provide better
managed environment, including, water supply,
flood and pollution abatement in those very areas.
The National Water Resources <strong>Study</strong> (for Peninsular
Malaysia) Mac 2000 and the Master Plan for the
Development of Water Resources in Peninsular
Malaysia (2000-2050) did not take into account
potential change of hydrologic regime and water
resources due to climate change (Zakaria and
Jamalluddin, 2007).
The NHRIM recalls that Climate Change projection
have to be studied further and translated into
how it will impact the social and economic sectors
(agriculture, forestry, bio-diversity, coastal
resources, water resources, public health & energy) of
Malaysia, that expected changes in water availability
by year 2050 require a review of current water
resources plans in the various sub-sectors and states
of Peninsular Malaysia, that further downscaling
studies using other GCM’s (ECHAM5- MPI Germany,
MRI-CGCM2.3.2- MRI Japan, CM2.1-GFDL USA,
CGCM3.1- Canada) are needed and also further
research on the future hydrologic regime (rainfall/
streamflow characteristics at finer temporal and
spatial timescales) (Zakaria and Jamalluddin, 2007).
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