The Ingenieur Vol 57 January-March 2014 The Ingenieur Vol 57 January-March 2014 | Página 52

INGENIEUR

SPECIAL FEATURE

Water Security in Malaysia

By Dr Norhayati Abdullah and Ir. Mohmad Asari Daud,
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia/Malaysian Water Association
The formulation of a holistic National Water Resources Policy (NWRP) for the period 2010 until 2050
will ensure the security of water supply for growing demand including agriculture and industrial sectors
as well as rapid increase in the population due to urbanisation.

W

ith the advent of global
warming,
increased
extreme
weather
and annual flood conditions,
water security is regarded
as one of the arising central
issues in Malaysia with huge
social implications. There is
an increasing concern among
policy makers, researchers and
non-Governmental organisations
(NGOs) about crucial water
issues requiring immediate,
viable and sustainable remedial
actions. Among them are the
decentralized water services
sector,
water
governance,
unsustainable tariffs, inefficient
operation by water operators,
huge investments needed for
sustainable development of
water supply and sewerage
infrastructures and high nonrevenue water (NRW) losses.
An estimated projection of
6.3 billion people worldwide will
not have access to safe drinking
water in 2050 following rapid
urbanization which increases
6
50

threats to global water resources
worldwide. According to the
National Water Resources Study
2000, Malaysia’s water demand
will increase by 63% from 11
billion m3 in 2008 to 17.7 billion
m3 in 2050. Despite being
blessed with copious rainfall
and richly endowed with multiple
water resources, Malaysia is
confronted
with
numerous
issues related to water. These
include inadequate quantities in
certain areas, degrading water
quality of main water bodies,
such as rivers and lakes, and
extreme flooding and droughts.
Even though Malaysia enjoys
3,000 mm of rainfall per year,
these problems are indicative of
the predicaments that might be
faced in developing a holistic and
integrated approach to manage
the country’s water resources.
The 3rd IWA International
Development Congress held in
Nairobi, Kenya in October 2013
with the theme of “Catalysing
Urban Water Transitions” ended

VOL 57 JANUARY-MARCH 2014
VOL 55 JUNE 2013

on an intellectual high resulting
from a culture of scientific
collaboration and evidence that
important progress is being
made to create essential tools
to deliver safe water for all.
This message encompasses
our collective and concerted
efforts in pursuit of an
integrated approach by taking
into consideration the socioeconomic, environmental and
technical
aspects
towards
sustainable water resources
management in Malaysia.
The main challenge will be
to diminish the silos created by
our institutional arrangements
for water based on