The Muda River ( ms, Sungai Muda) is the longest river in

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Course

Sourced in Ulu Muda Forest in Sik region in northeastern Kedah, along the border with

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, the river provides water supply to the states of Kedah and

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

. The river flows through much of Sik region, then entering the

Baling The Baling District is an Districts of Malaysia, administrative district in southeastern Kedah, Malaysia. Located about 110 km from Alor Setar, it borders Perak and Betong, Thailand, Betong, the southernmost town of Thailand. Name The name ...

region where it meets with the Ketil river at

Kuala Ketil Kuala Ketil is a small town in Baling District, Kedah, Malaysia. Kuala Ketil is also known as Kuala Ansotil by locals and residents around the town. Kuala Ketil is situated within the parliamentary constituency of Baling, in south-eastern Kedah. ...

. It then flows westward, passing through the southern suburbs of Kedah's second largest city Sungai Petani, and forming the natural boundary between

Kuala Muda District The Kuala Muda District is a district in Kedah, Malaysia. Sungai Petani is the administrative center of the district. Kuala Muda district is in close proximity to the border of Kedah and Penang. Apart from Sungai Petani, other major towns in the ...

and

North Seberang Perai District The North Seberang Perai District ( ms, Daerah Seberang Perai Utara; abbreviated: "SPU") is an administrative district on the mainland part of Penang State, Malaysia. It covers an area of 267 square kilometres, and had a population of 286,323 at t ...

on the Penangite side. The Muda river then empties into the

Straits of Malacca The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...

Kota Kuala Muda Kota Kuala Muda is a small town in Kedah state, Malaysia. Near the town is Pantai Merdeka (Merdeka Beach). Kota Kuala Muda is also one of the sub-districts ( mukims) of Kuala Muda District The Kuala Muda District is a district in Kedah, Malay ...

(''Kuala Muda'' meaning lower Muda, or the ''estuary'' of the Muda river in

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

Towns and settlements along the river basin

* Sik *

Padang Serai Padang Serai or lemongrass field, a little town in Kulim District, Kedah, Malaysia. The sleepy hollow, surrounded by oil palm plantations and the nearby Kulim High-tech Industrial Zone has 56 percent Malay, 23 percent Indians and 12 percent C ...

* Sungai Petani (partial) * Kepala Batas (Penang) *

Infrastructure

The

Beris Dam Beris Dam is a water supply dam located in Sik District, Kedah, Malaysia. The dam is a concrete-faced rockfill dam located in a narrow valley along Beris River, 1.6 km upstream from the river's confluence with Muda River. The dam was comple ...

, which was completed in 2004 at a cost of RM360 million, is used to regulate the flow of water along the Muda River basin to augment water available for irrigation of paddy or upland crops, for domestic and industrial water supply and other uses.

Climatology

The Muda River Basin received an annual precipitation of a year from 1985 to 2015. Mean monthly maximum (Tmax) and minimum (Tmin) temperature at the Ampangan Muda station ranged from and , respectively.

Hydrology

During the monsoon season the rain can lead to heavy flooding. On 6 October 2003, the discharge at Landang Victoria River gauging station was 1340 m³/s.

References