More dams in the pipeline

He said two had already been built, two were under construction, while four were to be built or upgraded under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP).

"The four are upgrading of the Congok Dam in Mersing, phase two of the water supply scheme for Tawau which includes the conctruction of a dam, construction of the Jernih Dam in Alor Gajah, Melaka and the Batang Layar Dam in Betong, Sarawak.

"The dams under construction are the Kahang Dam in Kluang, Johor and the expansion of the Mengkuang Dam in Penang.

"The dams that have been built are the Bengoh Dam in Kuching and Sungai Teriang Dam in Seremban," he said when winding up debate in the Dewan Negara Monday.

However, he said adding dams was not the be-all and end-all to address water needs as it was very important to preserve catchment areas.

Pursuant to this, he said a high-level committee under the Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister's Department had been set up to tackle issues relating to water supply, water resources, exploring alternative water sources and water conservation.