A Review of Integrated River Basin Management for Sarawak River

<b>Problem statement: </b>Sarawak River was a life-sustaining water source for the residents in&#13; Kuching City and surrounding areas. Raw water is treated at Batu Kitang Water Treatment Plant&#13; (BKWTP) that supplies more than 98% of the total water production in Kuching City. The raw water&#13; supply to BKWTP is not adequate to meet the ever increasing water demand. In order to overcome this&#13; problem, four projects had been implemented along Sarawak River for managing and securing water&#13; supply to BKWTP.<b> Approach:</b> These four projects are construction of 1.5m height storage weir across&#13; Sungai Sarawak Kiri river channel, Kuching Barrage and Shiplock, Bengoh Dam and Kuching&#13; Centralized Wastewater Management System (KCWMS). In 2005, 1.5 m height submersible weir was&#13; constructed across Sungai Sarawak Kiri channel for increasing the safe yield that can last until year&#13; 2010. Kuching Barrage and Shiplock were commissioned in 2000 as barrier to avoid the saline&#13; intrusion reaching upper catchment. 24 telemetry stations were installed along Sarawak River for&#13; monitoring and regulating the water level. This will preserve high quality water storage at upper&#13; catchment of Sarawak River. In year 2010, Bengoh Dam was constructed to ensure adequate raw water&#13; will be supplied to BKWTP for meeting the increasing water demand from 2010-2030. This reservoir&#13; will store 144 million m³ of fresh water covering reservoir area of 8.77km². Beyond 2030, the water&#13; supply shall not depend solely on fresh water.<b> Results:</b> Black and grey water in Sarawak Catchment&#13; was treated through Kuching Centralized Wastewater Management System (KCWMS) and recycled&#13; for daily used. <b>Conclusion:</b> The treated water that comply Standard A water quality, can distribute for&#13; domestic, industrial and irrigation used in nearest future. This will reduce the water demand solely on&#13; raw water and create a sustainable living in Kuching City. Beyond 2030, a few alternatives are also&#13; proposed for conserving and securing water supply for Kuching city.