A Study on Check Dam Design at Peat Soil Area for Peat Fire Management

Abstract

Abstract In the past decade, incidents of peatland fires have occurred in Malaysia, especially during the prolonged dry weather between February to May and July to October of each year. The canal blocking system or check dam is commonly used to control water tables in peatland. The objectives of this paper are to review the common check dam used for peat fire management. Next to propose a suitable check dam for peat fire management and to prepare a Sketchup model. The case study at Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve (AHFR) is located in the district of Muar, Johor State, with a total area of 3,797 ha. There are four phases in designing a check dam. There are four phases in designing a check dam. Phase I is to review the check dam that have has been produced before. Next, phase II is a design concept for a check dam that is suitable for construction on peatland areas. Phase III, engineering design, involves calculations related to engineering, AutoCAD drawings, and construction price estimates. Phase IV is the last phase to produce a model using a paper model or Sketchup software. In conclusion, the study manages to innovate a check dam for peat fire management at Ayer Hitam, Muar.