PASIR PUTEH: The Environment and Water Ministry will conduct a study to control saltwater entering the tidal control gate (TCG) which is under the Kemasin Semera Integrated Agriculture Development Area (IADA).
Environment and Water Minister Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (pix) said the study was conducted in the government’s efforts to resolve the water resources issue in Kelantan as the TCG under Kemasin Semerak IADA was among the areas with very large water reservoirs.
“There are few problems when salt water or seawater (during high tide) enters (into the TCG), the water source becomes brackish. Possibly a study will be done by the ministry to examine how far we can control the salt water that enters and if appropriate and it works well maybe we can make it one of the TAPS (Riverside Reservoir) projects,” he said.
He told this to reporters after a working visit to Kemasin Semerak IADA, Gong Kulim here, today which was also attended by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry II Datuk Che Abdullah Mat Nawi and Kemasin Semerak IADA director Nik Hamadi Nik Abdullah.
Commenting further, Tuan Ibrahim said TAPS was a new method introduced by the Environment and Water Ministry to stop the reservoirs of water being channelled back into the sea and to utilise it as a source of water supply.
Meanwhile, Tuan Ibrahim also said that about RM1.8 million was allocated to build another TCG gate in Pasir Puteh to reduce the risk of floods in the district.
He said the TCG would be built in the Bukit Gedombak area, near here, and the allocation was expected to be scrutinised at the 12th Malaysia Plan in the near future.
“Alhamdulillah, this year the floods in Pasir Puteh were not severely affected as in previous years there were only one or two areas with little water retained... an issue that occurred when there was no water gate (TCG) in the Bukit Gedombak area which caused water to enter (during high tide) to some areas,” he said. — Bernama
