Kelantan River
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| Kelantan River Sungai Kelantan |
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| Origin | North-east Malaysia |
| Mouth | South China Sea |
| Basin countries | Kelantan, Malaysia |
| Length | km |
| Source elevation | m |
| Avg. discharge | m³/s |
The Kelantan River (named Sungai Kelantan in Malay language) is the major river in Kelantan, Malaysia. It drains a catchment area of about 12000 km² in north-east Malaysia and flows northwards into the South China Sea. The rainfall over the area varies between 0 mm in the dry season (March-May) to 1750 mm in the monsoon season (November-January). The average runoff from the area is about 500 m³/s.[1]
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[edit] Name and extent
The description of the river is complicated by the local naming convention: instead of using the name Kelantan river from estuary to source, the name is only used for the section from the estuary to the confluence of its two main tributaries, the Galas River and the Lebir River, near the town of Kuala Krai. The same naming convention applies to these tributaries. Thus to describe the main river from source to mouth involves four names: the River Betis (first 20 miles from the source), then the River Nenggiri, then the River Galas, and finally the Kelantan River.[2]
[edit] Route
The river tributaries rise in the forested mountains where many Orang Asli tribes live. The area is known for its limestone outcrops and caves. Along the River Nenggeri section some cave systems show evidence of habitation going back 9000 years, such as Gua Cha near Kuala Betis.
Lower down, Malay villages dot the banks of the river which passes through one of the most densely populated flood plains on the Malay Peninsular whose padi fields produce around 12% of Malaysian rice production.
The river flows past four important towns: Pasir Mas, Tumpat, Kuala Krai and the state capital Kota Bharu, which lies near the mouth of the river. Towards the estuary there are several islands in the river.
The area around the actual estuary, known as Kuala Besar, is dotted with picturesque fishing villages, which are also well-known for the production of batik (a local patterned material produced by waxing and dyeing cloth) for which the State of Kelantan is famous.
[edit] Flooding
The Kelantan River regularly overspills its banks during the months of November to February because of the northeast monsoon season. A telemetric flood forecasting system has been installed to give warning of high river levels. Some of the worst floods in recent years have been:[3]
| Year | Evacuees | Deaths | Damage (US$1000) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 10476 | 12 | 3767 |
| 2003 | 2228 | 2 | 1461 |
| 2001 | 5800 | 0 | 2227 |
| 1993 | 13587 | 0 | 398 |
| 1988 | 41059 | 0 | ? |
| 1986 | 7963 | 0 | 1603 |
| 1983 | 33815 | 0 | ? |
[edit] References
- ^ Environmental Software and Services GmbH AUSTRIA (1995-2006). WaterWare: The Kelantan River Malaysian case study. Waterware Water Resources Information Management System. Retrieved on 2006-04-14.
- ^ GeoVision Productions (2000). River Cruises and Rides. Kelantan, The Land of Lightning. Retrieved on 2006-04-14.
- ^ Hazalizah Binti Hamzah (2005). Roadmap toward Effective Flood Hazard Mapping in Malaysia (pdf). JICA region focused training course on flood hazard mapping. Retrieved on 2006-04-14.
[edit] External links
- Kelantan online river level data - click Sg.Kelantan for current week's river level readings taken every hour - or click the number in the Station id column to plot a graph.
