The Muda River () is the longest river in

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman (دار الأمان; Arabic for 'The Safe Abode') and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Course

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

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, the river meets the water needs of the states of Kedah and

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

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

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

region where it meets with the Ketil river, a left-bank tributary, 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) is a city in Kuala Muda District, Kedah, Malaysia. The population of the municipal area of Sungai Petani is larger than Kedah's state capital, Alor Setar. It is located about 55 km south of Alor Set ...

, 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 is a district in Seberang Perai within the Malaysian state of Penang. The district covers the northern third of Seberang Perai, including the city centre of Butterworth. It borders Kedah Kedah (), also kno ...

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

Straits of Malacca The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, long and from wide, between the Malay Peninsula to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connecting the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pa ...

at Kota Kuala Muda (''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 *

(partial) * Kepala Batas (Penang) * Kota Kuala Muda

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 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