First forest helipad, tube well in Malaysia to boost wildfire response
The project near the Kenderong Forest Reserve is a joint effort by the Forestry Department, Perak Minerals and Geoscience Department and Fire and Rescue Department.
Perak Forestry Department assistant director (forest plantation and innovation section) Mohamad Farhan Sukiman said this was the first initiative of its kind in Peninsular Malaysia, designed for fire prevention in a forest reserve.
"The tube well was vital throughout the process, from site selection based on geological studies to drilling and water yield assessments," he said after the first helipad site trial.
The tube well was constructed based on strict technical standards and has a pump, protective enclosure and safety system.
"The Fire and Rescue Department recommended adding a helipad at the site because previous firefighting efforts were delayed by long travel times.
"It can take more than 10 minutes from the Gerik airstrip to fire sites, not counting the time to fetch water. With this new infrastructure, travel time to affected areas is now just three minutes," he said.
Construction of the tube well began in August last year and was completed by September.
It will serve as a water source for wildfire response in Gerik and Kupang in Perak, as well as Baling in Kedah while reducing reliance on external water sources such as Sungai Perak and Tasik Banding.
It occupies about 0.2ha of a former timber collection site and as the area had already been cleared, no trees were felled for the project.
The helipad and tube well site, which is located in the Central Forest Spine ecological corridor, is also only fenced for safety and does not obstruct movement of wildlife such as elephants.
Perak Fire and Rescue Department acting operations chief Shazlean Mohd Hanafiah said the tube well solved challenges in securing water sources for firefighting and would significantly reduce response time.
Forest fires in the area are seasonal, typically occurring once a year.
In 2020, helicopters needed to carry water from Tasik Banding to the top of Gunung Kenderong for firefighting, leading to delays and high costs.
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