The current legislations on dam matters at both federal and state levels are not specific . There is no regulatory body to enforce dam safety requirements . The responsibilities and liabilities of dam owners / developers have not been established .
Majority of the dam owners have no established dam safety management programme . There is a lack of a policy framework ; allocation of resources to carry out safety programmes ; training of personnel ; information management and public consultation . In most cases the dam safety programmes do not cover the whole life cycle of the dam .
There is an urgent need to improve the dam safety management practice in the country to bring it into line with good international practice so that the risks of dam failure can be controlled to a level that is as low as is reasonably practical .
This article discusses deficiencies of the current dam safety management practice and dam safety issues in Malaysia . The risk of dam failure increases as more dams are built and they are subjected to natural hazards such as earthquakes , floods and landslides . Some of the dams are old . Any development of the downstream environment of existing dams increases the hazard of dam failures . Upgrading of old dams may be required due to the change in design criteria related to changes in catchment conditions , climate and seismic activities . A dam safety review is necessary to assess the performance and / or the response of dams during extreme events such as floods and earthquakes . The concrete structures of some older dams have deteriorated due to weathering and flow control equipment such as flow control valves have also deteriorated due to corrosion .
The current dam safety management practices in the country are not in line with good international practice . The risk of dam failure and impact of dam failure can be minimised by implementing and maintaining an appropriate dam safety programme .
State / Federal Territory |
Total No . |
Water Supply |
Irrigation |
Flood Mitigation |
Hydropower |
Silt Retention |
Recreation |
Johor 17 13 1 3 Kedah 7 2 5 Kelantan 2 1 1 Negeri Sembilan 9 8 1 Melaka 5 4 1 Pahang 10 3 2 2 3 P . Pinang 6 6 Perak 10 2 1 6 1 Perlis 1 1 Selangor 10 7 2 1 Terengganu 6 3 1 2 Sabah 10 8 2 Sarawak 9 6 3 Labuan 3 3 Putrajaya 1 1 TOTAL 106 65 15 4 16 4 2
Table 1 : Distribution of Dams in State / Federal Territory & Functions of Dams in Malaysia Note : For multi-purpose dams only the primary function of dam is stated and their secondary functions are not indicated .
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