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

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman and historically as Queda, is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km2, and it consists of the mainland ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

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 b ...

, 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 M ...

. The river flows through much of Sik region, then entering the Baling region where it meets with the Ketil river at Kuala Ketil. It then flows westward, passing through the southern suburbs of Kedah's second largest city

Sungai Petani Sungai Petani (abbr. Sg. Petani or SP; Jawi: سوڠاي ڤتاني) is a city in Kuala Muda District, Kedah, Malaysia. Sungai Petani is Kedah's largest city and is located about 55 km south of Alor Setar, the capital of Kedah, and 33& ...

, and forming the natural boundary between Kuala Muda District and North Seberang Perai District 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, co ...

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, Malays ...

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

Towns and settlements along the river basin

* Sik * Kuala Ketil *

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 ...

(partial) * Kepala Batas (Penang) *

Infrastructure

The Beris Dam, 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 Paddy may refer to: People *Paddy (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname *An ethnic slur for an Irishman Birds *Paddy (pigeon), a Second World War carrier pigeon * Snowy sheathbill or paddy, a bird species *Black-faced s ...

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