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Title: Management of Peat Basins
Date: 19-Mar-2002
Category: Workshop Papers
Source/Author: Salmah Zakaria

In its natural condition, peat land, essentially swamps, served as retention/detention areas for floodwaters of each individual river basin. The planning and construction of development projects (buildings, recreational areas, conservation areas, roads, drainage, water supply, power, etc) in peat land will be influenced by the nature of the peat soil itself. There is a need to grasp the nature and properties of peat soil and to understand the constraints involved in development on peat land. In lowlandcoastal areas, affected by tides and with heavy torrential rain, problems encountered in peat drainage/reclamation will be magnified. Because the peat deposit occurs in wet and/or saturated condition the genesis of the peat and its properties is very muchinfluenced by the hydrology of the surrounding area. Project initiatives usually, though not necessarily, require the peat land to be drained. Most development requirements are tied to specific objectives, which will require certain minimum bearing capacity. This bearing capacity is in turn directly related to the water table depth below the ground level and can only be achieved through drainage of the area. As drainage will change the initial status quo of the peat environment, there is also a need torelate specific project objective to realistic environmental objectives achievable within the peat environment and land reclamation. 

Document Type Workshop paper

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