Integrated Water Resources Management: A Study Of Public Willingness To Participate In Watershed Management Of Batu Kurau, Perak
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Date
2018-10
Authors
Ridzwanurahim Nazimuddin
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abstract
Water resources management (WRM) is undergoing changes in Malaysia. There is
now a shift towards the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
in future Malaysian WRM planning. Part of this management paradigm is watershed
management, where the watershed becomes the management unit upon which WRM is based.
One aspect of watershed management (WM) is the inclusion of the public in decisionmaking
processes, however this would depend upon the willingness to participate, (WTP) of
the public in such processes. The objective of this study was to; 1) assess public WTP in
watershed management and 2) assess factors that could influence public WTP in watershed
management in respondents from three villages in Batu Kurau watershed. Batu Kurau was
chosen as location of study due to the local population’s dependence on the watershed for
their water resources. Thus, this context makes it interesting to evaluate the potential WTP of
such respondents regarding involvement in WM of Batu Kurau. In order to answer the
objectives, a questionnaire survey was developed consisting of constructs of factors
determined from literature review; 1) socioeconomic factors, 2) knowledge of watershed
issues, 3) values in water resources consumption, 4) satisfaction with water resources
management, 5) satisfaction with watershed management, and 6) perception of involvement
in watershed management. The scores of the respondents in WTP and also the above factors
was analysed in descriptive analysis to answer the first objective. Chi-square cross-tabulation
(for socioeconomic factors) and correlational analysis (for other factors) was used in order to
answer the second objective. The survey was conducted in three villages in Batu Kurau,
where 302 respondents (for 95% confidence level according to Krejcie & Morgan (1970))
were randomly sampled. The results show that; 1) in descriptive analysis, 78.8% of
respondents showed WTP in WM. Also, the community shows a positive attitude towards daily water consumption behaviour with moderate knowledge on watershed issues. However,
they agree that active participation in today’s watershed management is necessary despite
satisfaction on government water & watershed management initiatives. 2) In chi-square
cross-tabulation, socioeconomic factors do not play a role in determining WTP level in
watershed management given full population access to water. Also, according to
correlational analysis, the factors; 1) knowledge of watershed issues, 2) water consumption
behaviour, 3) satisfaction with water resources management, 4) satisfaction with watershed
management, and 5) perception of involvement in watershed management, positively
correlate with WTP, and are suggested to be considered in any initiative to empower the
public for their effective involvement in watershed management. The contribution of this
research is to add to literature on public involvement in water resources management in
Malaysia and also to provide insight into the influences behind their potential involvement.
Thus, it is also hoped that guidelines be developed in order to gradually and effectively
involve the public in future WM initiatives in Batu Kurau.
Description
Keywords
Water, supply , Management