Morphological Adjustment of Kahang River Consequent to Construction of Kahang Dam

In a tropical country like Malaysia, the availability of research works to monitor channel changes as a response to situating a dam over an observation period may help to establish new management strategies. These investigations will constitute a vital approach in assessing the changes to channel morphology downstream due to the presence of a dam and its operations. In the present study, the effects of Kahang Dam on Kahang River morphology, in particular, the downstream section was investigated and analyzed between January 2017 to January 2018. The rainfall pattern of the study period, the flow regime concerning the period, and geomorphological channel adjustments were carried out during the field surveys over a 400 meters reach. Different responses were leading to high flow and low flow regimes during periods with and without any interference due to dam operations. Similarly, the river channel was characterized by adjustments and realignments, causing modifications to the river morphology. Changes in cross-sectional area and local incision were also noticed as a direct response to sediment deficit and bank erosion process