KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia urgently needs to overhaul its water conservation methods and raise public awareness about the resource’s scarcity, according to National Water Services Commission chairman Charles Santiago.
Santiago highlighted a troubling trend of water overconsumption among Malaysian consumers, emphasising the need for long-term sustainability investments.
The former DAP parliamentarian suggested rainwater harvesting as a viable method to incorporate into the local water supply system, stressing the necessity of public education on conserving this “scarce and depleting” resource.
“Having (access to) cheap water can cut both ways, (as) while the government thinks water is a human right and people should be given affordable water, (such accessibility) can sometimes be abused,” Santiago told Scoop.
“We use processed water to wash our vehicles, and there are some households that do this every day (due to how) water is so cheap here. This sort of abuse has to stop,” he stressed.
He added that there is a general lack of awareness about the critical role of water in daily life, saying, “People don’t realise how central and important water is in everything we do.
“We eat more water than we drink, as plants consume water, while livestock also depend on water. Raising water tariffs is one way to control water usage, but it has to go hand in hand with education (on proper water usage).”
Regarding rainwater harvesting, Santiago said that states will only benefit from such an initiative, which could also alleviate flooding woes in areas prone to such natural disasters.
“If we had managed to use underground water storage areas to save rainwater from localities that had previously experienced flooding, we might have been able to avoid constant floods while factories would be able to use the harvested rainwater.
“Rainwater harvesting is something that should be promoted in a big way for all states. Perhaps the state administration or federal government can provide subsidies for water guzzlers to support the move,” he added.
While rainwater harvesting has often been proposed as a way to tackle water shortages and reduce dependency on treated water from dam reservoirs with minimal environmental impact, the uptake of the method across nations remains minimal.
This is partly due to the fact that harvested resources will first have to undergo regular monitoring to eliminate health risks associated with the presence of chemical, physical, and microbiological contaminants before they are deemed potable water.
“The way one should look at it (water management) is that we will be facing a crisis five years from now and implement the needed changes to prepare for such a scenario so that when the time comes, we are safe.
“Between 2018 and 2022, Malaysia lost around RM8.5 billion in non-revenue water. If we don’t address the problem, it could get worse, and we’ll lose more funds,” Santiago said.
Besides identifying where pipes are broken or locating leaks hidden underground, Santiago said a way of tackling the issue could be by improving billing methods, which would lead to a drop in non-revenue water.
Focus on more viable options instead of desalination plants, Penang told
Santiago also commented on the proposed desalination plant in Penang, considering it an unlikely initiative due to its high costs compared to other viable options.
“Rainwater harvesting or reclaimed water can be applied in Penang. (Besides desalination), there are other options that can be used, and the state government hasn’t exhausted them yet.
“It’s a manageable issue. Desalination is very expensive and a big energy guzzler. We should exhaust whatever’s possible right now instead of going in that direction,” he added.
In 2022, MPDT Capital Bhd proposed building a RM1 billion desalination plant in Penang, capable of producing 250 million litres of potable water per day from seawater. The plan included providing free desalinated water to the Penang Water Supply Corporation, subject to concession terms and conditions. – May 20, 2024