Abstract
Abstract. The Kinta River, draining an area of 2566 km2, originates in the Korbu Mountain in Perak, Malaysia, and flows through heterogeneous, mixed land uses ranging from extensive forests to mining, rubber and oil palm plantations, and urban development. A land use change analysis of the Kinta River catchment was carried out together with assessment of the long-term trend in rainfall and sediment fluxes. The Mann-Kendall test was used to examine and assess the long-term trends in rainfall and its relationship with the sediment discharge trend. The land use analysis shows that forests, water bodies and mining land declined whilst built and agricultural land use increased significantly. This has influenced the sediment flux of the catchment. However, most of the rainfall stations and river gauging stations are experiencing an increasing trends, except at Kinta river at Tg. Rambutan. Sediment flux shows a net erosion for the period from 1961 to 1969. The total annual sediment discharge in the Kinta River catchment was low with an average rate of 1,757 t/km2/year. From 1970 to 1985, the annual sediment yield rose to an average rate of 4062 t/km2/year. Afterwards, from 1986 to 1993, the total annual sediment discharge decreased to an average rate of 1,306 t/km2/year and increased back during the period 1994 to 2000 to 2109 t/km2/year. From 2001 to 2006 the average sediment flux rate declined to 865 t/km2/year. The decline was almost 80% from the 1970s. High sediment flux in the early 1970s is partly associated with reduced tin mining activities in the area. This decreasing trend in sediment delivery leaving the Kinta River catchment is expected to continue dropping in the future.
Highlights
Sediment discharge can be defined as the portion of total suspended solids of sand, silt and mud that flow in the drainage basin and eventually out to the sea (Owens, 2008)
Evidence from longer-term sediment load records indicates that river sediment fluxes are sensitive to many influences, including reservoir construction (Vörösmarty et al, 2003), land clearance and land-use change (Syvitski, 2003), other forms of land disturbance including mining activity, soil and water conservation measures and sediment control programmes, and climate change (Walling & Fang, 2003)
Rainfall is the major source of runoff in a drainage catchment and at the same time change of land use caused by human activities can increase the amount of sediment discharge due to excess soil erosion
Summary
Sediment discharge can be defined as the portion of total suspended solids of sand, silt and mud that flow in the drainage basin and eventually out to the sea (Owens, 2008). Evidence from longer-term sediment load records indicates that river sediment fluxes are sensitive to many influences, including reservoir construction (Vörösmarty et al, 2003), land clearance and land-use change (Syvitski, 2003), other forms of land disturbance including mining activity, soil and water conservation measures and sediment control programmes, and climate change Many studies have shown that a changing trend in rainfall will affect the sediment and discharge trend in a catchment. Some of these influences cause sediment loads to increase, whilst others, namely, soil and water conservation and sediment control programmes, and reservoir construction can reduce sediment fluxes (Syvitski, 2003; Walling & Fang, 2003). There is clear evidence that sediment loads of some rivers are changing, others show little evidence of any significant temporal trend (Walling & Fang, 2003)
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