FOREST FOR DOMESTIC WATER CATCHMENT OF GUNUNG TEBU FOREST RESERVES, TERENGGANU

Forests play an important role as water catchments for all downstream demands, suchas domestic, industrial, and agricultural use. They provide not only quantity of water but also good-quality clean water. Forests help prevent impurities from entering streams, lakes, and groundwater in several ways. This process is called water purification but occurs naturally. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the importance of forest reserves, specifically the Gunung Tebu Forest Reserve (FR) in Besut, Terengganu, as a water catchment, especially for domestic use. Data on Bukit Bunga Water Treatment Plants (WTP) intakes, cost information, and forest land uses from the National Forest Inventory V (NFI V) are the main inputs for the analysis. Results show that the overall average marginal value for Gunung Tebu FR is RM297.24/ha/year. This value can be used to consider the operational cost implications of WTPs for the water purification services provided by the FR. A comparative analysis of the water catchment for Bukit Bunga WTP covers an area of 6,456.4 ha, of which approximately 88.6% is the Gunung Tebu FR. Therefore, the conservation of forest reserves as water catchment areas is important to ensure the availability of clean water, especially for domestic use.