JOHOR BARU, Dec 20 — Senggarang assemblyman 
Khairuddin A. Rahim today called for a review of the construction of barrages in Johor, saying they could negatively impact the riverine areas in the state.
The Johor government had outlined RM3 million for the construction of these barrages — weirs with adjustable gates that regulate river water level — in the state Budget for next year.
“An example was the construction of the Johor River barrage project that has brought other problems to the residents and fishermen in the area,” Khairuddin told Malay Mail today.
Construction of the Johor River barrage project started in 2013 with an allocation of RM96 million. The project, aimed at preventing infiltration of saline water into water treatment plants at the Johor River, was fully completed in March last year.
Khairuddin, a former district engineer, claimed that construction of barrages will lead to other problems if the river’s upstream restoration is not properly implemented.
“If the top of the river contains a lot of sediment, the construction of the barrage will restrict the water flow causing the water to be muddy.
“This in turn will affect fishermen whose livelihood is dependent on the area. The river’s marine life will also definitely be affected by the turbidity of the river,” said the 59-year-old who is also an environmental activist.
Despite that, Khairuddin said the budget proposal by the state government was a positive move, but needed to be looked into in-depth before being implemented.
In view of this, he suggested the state government initiate feedback from the villagers and fishermen first, before carrying out construction work on the barrage project.
Khairuddin said among the many concerns was the respective river’s water level measurements that should be monitored as often as possible to prevent the overflowing of flood waters that will eventually damage the villagers’ crops.
“Overall, the people welcome the proposal but the issues that concern them need to be taken care of by the government as any hasty action may also impact the river’s ecosystem,” he said.
River barrages are a type of low-head, diversion dam that can be opened or closed to control the amount of water passing through.
This allows the structure to regulate and stabilise river water elevation upstream for use in irrigation and other systems.
