Untitled - Forum Air Malaysia

CATCHMENT TO CONSUMERS (C2C)
INTRODUCTION / BACKGROUND
According to many UN agency reports and research findings, the evidence is compelling that
achieving the Millennium Development Goals for water and sanitation would trigger a major
leap forward in human development:
• Water and sanitation are essential to achieving all of the MDGs (Millennium Development
Goals)
• Investment in water supply yields an average economic return of $4.4 to $1
• Investment in sanitation yields an average economic return of $9.1 to $1
• Human Development is more closely linked to access to water and sanitation than other
development drivers UNDP has examined, including spending on health or education, and
access to energy services.
Availability of water is certainly a concern for some countries. It is, first and foremost, a
crisis of governance and thus governance reform must be a key pillar of any strategic approach to addressing the water availability crisis.
Water challenges will increase significantly in the coming years.
Continuing population growth and rising incomes will lead to greater water consumption, as well as more waste.
The urban population in developing countries will grow dramatically, generating demand well beyond the capacity of already inadequate water supply and sanitation
infrastructure and services.
According to the UN World Water Development Report; by 2050, at least one in four people
are likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of freshwater.
Water Pollution
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CATCHMENT TO CONSUMERS (C2C)
Virtually all goods-producing activities generate pollutants as unwanted by-products.The
most important water contaminants created by human activities are microbial pathogens,
nutrients, oxygen-consuming materials, heavy metals and persistent organic matter, as well as suspended sediments, pesticides and much of it from non-point sources.
Heat, which raises the temperature of the receiving water, can also be a pollutant. Pollutants
are typically the cause of major water quality degradation around the world.
Globally, the most prevalent water quality problem is eutrophication, a result of
high-nutrient loads (mainly phosphorus and nitrogen), which substantially impairs beneficial
uses of water.
Projected food production needs and increasing wastewater effluents associated with an
increasing population over the next three decades suggest a 10%-15% increase in the
river input of nitrogen loads into coastal ecosystems, continuing the trend observed during
1970-95.
• More than 80% of sewage in developing countries is discharged untreated, polluting rivers, lakes and coastal areas.
• Many industries – some of them known to be heavily polluting (such as leather and chemicals) – are moving from high-income countries to emerging market economies.
• Despite improvements in some regions, water pollution is on the rise globally.
Some Best Practices:
The International Water Association or IWA developed the Bonn Charter in 2004 on Safe
Drinking Water. The key principles outlined by the charter which are imperative to safe drinking water supply are as follows:
• Management of the whole water supply chain should always be set in the context of management of the whole water cycle, including, but not limited to:
◊ Management of water resource provision, including, where necessary resource augmentation;
◊ Management of water and land interactions, taking into account agricultural practices
and urban development; and
◊ The collection and treatment of wastewater.
• Systems to ensure drinking water quality should not be based solely on end-of-pipe verification (testing against predetermined standards). Rather, management control systems
should be implemented to assess risks at all points throughout water supply systems and
to manage such risks.
• Such an integrated approach requires close co-operation and partnership between all
stakeholders including governments, independent regulatory authorities, water suppliers,
local public authorities, health agencies, environmental agencies, land users, contractors,
plumbers and manufacturers of relevant materials and products, and consumers themselves.
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• Open, transparent and honest communication between all stakeholders is essential to developing trust. It contributes to the development of effective water supply systems.
• The roles and responsibilities of the different institutions contributing to the delivery of
safe and reliable drinking water need to be clearly defined and ensure complete coverage of the system from catchment to consumer. Governments should establish the legal
and institutional arrangements necessary to assign appropriate responsibilities among the
various parties.
• The way in which decisions are made relating to standards for the quality and reliability of
water supplies should be transparent.
• Water should be safe, reliable and aesthetically acceptable. In progressively realising the
goals, however, the standards applied may legitimately vary from location to location and
over time.
• The price of water should be set so that it does not prevent consumers from obtaining
water of sufficient quantity and quality to meet fundamental domestic needs
• Any system for assuring drinking water quality should:
◊ Be based on the best available scientific evidence; and
◊ Be sufficiently flexible to take account of the different legal, institutional, cultural and
socio-economic situations of different countries;
The Malaysian Scenario
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Drawing from the lessons learnt and experienced gained from water supply sector restructuring initiated by the late Tun Lim Keng Yaik in 2004, we can draw that the water and sanitation
sector was poorly planned and managed prior to the exercise.
There was no vision on where we want to be in 2050 and beyond until the 7th and 8th Malaysia Plan (MP) came along. Both the MPs focused on improving management of water supply
and management of river basins and on the need to efficiently manage water resources to
supply safe and sufficient supply of water. This is in anticipation of the increase in demand
due to the implementation of these plans – i.e. rapid industrialization.
The implementation of both the MPs resulted in the development and implementation of the
National Water Policy (NWP) and the National Water Resources Master Plan (NWRMP) – both
covers the planning up to the year 2050. The above policy and master plan was to provide
guide future development in the water sector and management of natural water resources.
Many who had seen the Master Plan believe it to be very detailed. The government then
planned 62 water projects, including the building of 47 dams by 2050 under the master plan.
About RM3.9 billion will be spent under the Eighth Malaysia Plan (2001-2005) on these projects compared with about RM2.4 billion in the previous plan.
During the 7th Malaysia Plan, various water projects had been implemented to meet domestic
and industrial demand as well as to meet irrigation requirement. In addition, several actions
were undertaken to improve water supply management and to ensure better distribution of
water resources among river basins to match supply and demand.
In the 7th Malaysia Plan, the development of inter-State and inter-basin water transfers was
further developed to address uneven distribution of water resources, particularly in water
stressed States and to ensure long-term sustainability. A more systematic plan was undertaken through inter-State water transfer projects. In the 8th Malaysia Plan, the development
of groundwater as an alternative source was also enhanced.
Another important goal of the MPs is also to review the privatisation approach which was purported to be implemented on a piece meal basis missing the goal of establishing socio-economic sustainability for the water supply sector. The ensuing problems and issues were glaring and pointed out the many shortcomings in the management of the water supply services
in Malaysia.
The UN reports at that time with regards to water resources and population demand painted
a rather gloomy picture of the future of water and water resources globally: increasing pollution, urbanization, deforestation, global warming and climate change.
By analysing report from many agencies such as the Drainage and Irrigation Department,
National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM), the Meteorology Department,
Department of Environment, Malaysian Water Industry Guide and many more we can conclude that there is sufficient downpour (surface flow) to cater for the anticipated population
in Malaysia come year 2050 – many times more!
We are blessed with approximately 150 rivers and 25000 cubic metres of renewable water
per capita per year. The problem lies in ensuring that some dry regions also have sufficient
renewable water for consumption. This is where dams come in to address this problem but
finding suitable sites for the dams and water basins were an issue to address problems in
water stress areas.
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As many in the water sector already know, the water supply industry is a capital intensive
industry and according to UN reports and reports from Transparency International (TI), the
chief of all problems faced by water sectors in developing countries is the systemic issues of
transparency and accountability ensuing the procurement processes and performance of the
sectors.
According to theses agencies’ 10% to 40% is lost in procurement resulting in among others
bloated capital and operational expenditure leaving the consumers to pick up the bill. Is this
is a matter of privatising gains and socialising losses?
The restructuring of the water sector resulted in the implementation of two very important
legislations: the Water Service Industry Commission Act and the Water Service Industry Act
(better known as WSIA – pronounced as WaSIA).
Since 2006 the state of Penang, Perlis, Perak, Johore, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan has embraced the new regulatory regime. These six states constitute more than 9.3 million in population whilst the state of Selangor (including Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur) with more than 7
million people, the most densely populated and the most industrialised state in Malaysia has
not migrated to the new regime. This state contributes to 23.5% of the national GDP in 2012.
If Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya is included this constitutes about 38% of the national GDP.
About 31 percent of the business premises in Selangor are manufacturing premises whilst
more than 50% are services. Some of the major food manufacturers (among them MNCs)
are located in the state of Selangor. It has one of the busiest ports in Malaysia. Urbanization
rate in Selangor is 91% in 2012 (Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya is 100%).
The people and businesses in Selangor stand to suffer quite a bit with a mismanaged water
sector which is operated by three different entities: one for raw water source, one for treatment and the other for distribution.
Whenever wide spread water supply disruptions loom, the bickering and finger-pointing begin. The general public and businesses at large get more confused - aggravated further by
media spinning of the situation.
In the case of Selangor, Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan there are no one independent
competent authority recognised to provide ‘unbiased’ picture on the state of their water
supply. There is no one regulatory body which provides a standard and widely recognised
approach to managing the water sector in a transparent, efficient and accountable manner.
The management of the water sector in the state of Pahang is even more fragmented than
other states.
The state of Kelantan and Terengganu use more ground water sources than other states
which introduces a different kind of challenge to the regulatory reform and the migration to
the new licensing regime.
In recent years the state of Selangor (Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya included) has experienced
frequent unplanned and planned water disruptions. A case in point is the 2013 Merdeka eve
supply disruptions to more than 60% of the account holders in the state.
The reason was – shutdown of water treatment plants due to pollution of rivers caused by
illegal diesel spillage. The perpetrators were since caught and now await hearing / trial.
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During Chinese New Year in 2014 another shutdown happened due to ammonia pollution as
a result of a poorly managed sewerage facility spilling untreated sewage in to water sources.
The plants affected were Sg Langat and Bukit Tampoi.
A couple of months down the road the mother of all water supply problem began to unveil
as water levels in the Selangor dam begins to drop. The Selangor dam supplies 60% of the
Selangor water needs. Millions of Ringgit was spent on induced raining, reining in water tankers to deliver water round the clock, loss of business (among water dependent sectors like
restaurants) and reduced man hour and disruption to daily lives
Fast Forward to 2015
On 16 February 2015 three days before Chinese New Year the disruptions episode played out
again due to pollution - also ammonia pollution and high levels of manganese in raw water
source at Sungai Semenyih.
For us at Forum Air Malaysia it has dawned on us that water woes are unavoidable and maybe
an annual event given the onset and irreversible climate change effects seen worldwide.
Global warming brings with it dry spells which when coupled with poor management of water
resources could spell disaster to the people, environment and even the economy.
The mentality that water is “cheap” and readily available is still very common in our society.
This is a misconception because while our country is blessed with an abundance of raw water,
the cost for treatment is certainly not cheap.
Population growth, urbanization as well as rapid developments pose adverse impacts on the
natural resources causing the demand for treated water to perpetually increase. An increasing number of rivers and other water resources are being polluted everyday simply because
our society has no appreciation towards natural water resources and environmental services.
While the predicament of safe, clean and continuous water supply is clear, unfortunately, the
solutions are not.
Hazy Solutions
From the failure of the states to control land development, industrial activities and pollution
to inefficient management of water treatment plants operations and distribution and lack of
oversight from the relevant authorities and policy makers; businesses and domestic consumers bear the brunt of it all.
While some may argue that the takeover of Selangor’s water supply by the federal government following the failure of the state government to conclude the restructuring process is
akin to “light at the end of the tunnel”, it is really a far cry from reality.
The people are still shrouded in uncertainty on whether this new direction would actually
speed up the restructuring process or the other way around. By right, the federal government
should have outlined an action plan for the restructuring process and made it available to the
existing water concessionaires, state governments and consumers at large.
Water restructuring which is in line with the Water Services Industry Act 2006 (Act 655) is an
effort to achieve better efficiency and quality for the water services industry in Malaysia as
stated earlier in this paper.
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Water restructuring enables a regulatory environment that will lead to efficient management
of services such as the reduction in non-revenue water (NRW) which in Selangor, Putrajaya
and Kuala Lumpur stands at 33.1%.
In the state of Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan they are at 54.2%, 36.8% and 53.6% respectively. Reduction in NRW would translate to affordability as well as an interim assurance
for water shortages.
States such as Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor have shown impressive reduction in their
NRW (up to 10.1% decrease) since their successful transition to the new licensing regime
upon restructuring.
It is thus undeniable that water restructuring under the new regulatory environment is vital
in ensuring that water services sector is sustainable to serve economic, social and environmental interest of the country.
Langat 2 Water Treatment Plant
Following the signing of MoU between the federal government and the state government to
allow the state government to finally take over Selangor’s four water concessionaires, it was
subsequently announced that the long suspended Langat 2 project is to be resumed.
The Langat 2 project is a part of Pahang-Selangor Raw Water Transfer Project (PPAMPS)
which is expected to treat up to 1.89 billion litres of raw water per year for Selangor, Kuala
Lumpur and Putrajaya and expected to cater of these areas’ demand until 2025.
The entire project was said to cost RM 6.2 billion. The 44 km tunnel to be utilized to channel the Sungai Semantan water from Pahang to Selangor costs RM 2.5 billion and is already
complete.
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However, the approval to build a dam in Langat 2 was put on hold due to pending approval
from the Selangor government. The high cost of the project is the reason behind the delay
in approval (according to the state government). In addition to that, high cost was cited just
to buy the raw water from Pahang. The agreement and the project have been shrouded with
lack of transparency and openness since the beginning.
Hybrid Off-River Augmentation System (HORAS) at Selangor River
Moving on, as an alternative to Langat 2 project, MB Khalid proposed HORAS to be done at
Selangor River which would commence work mid March 2014. The proposed river was said
to be able to generate 600-700 MLD water this year and plans to divert the river to generate
about 3000 MLD per year.
The initial cost is estimated to be RM 300 million which is much lower than the RM 6.2 billion
cost of Langat 2 which already used up around RM 2.5 billion to build the connection tunnel
to transfer the water.
While it is commendable that MB Khalid is trying to save fund by coming up with HORAS to
secure enough water for the state of Selangor the HORAS implementation and its impact on
the environment and natural water cycle is still at obscure since information related to the
project is not made clear.
Furthermore the half completed Langat 2 project if not pursued might end up as yet another
white elephant and a blatant waste of taxpayer money!
Alternative Sources – Mining Ponds
To overcome supply shortage and minimise impact of water rationing, the water sector players in Selangor resorted to using ex-mining ponds as water sources to be treated to supply
to consumers.
During this time the media spinning on the quality of and safety of water from mining sources
was questioned and variety of opinion surfaced.
The general public had no ‘authority’ to refer to provide credible information on the quality
and technical aspects of the water sources from the mining ponds. Roles played by different
regulators / competent authorities must be distinctly clarified and it becomes EXTEREMELY
important in times of crisis like the one in 2014 water.
Case Study: Langat River Ammonia Pollution and the Emergency Response
Constant interruptions of clean and safe water supply have eroded the confidence of Selangorians and Malaysians at large on the current management of water supply services.
Such is the case when the most basic human right could not be fulfilled during the recent
Chinese New Year when taps went dry in 20 000 households in and around Hulu Langat and
Kuala Langat last year and again this year - February 16, 2015 affecting 450,000 account
holders.
The ammonia pollution at Sungai Langat has led to the closure of two water treatment plants;
Bukit Tampoi and Batu 11 which collectively supply 56mld of water.
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The ammonium concentration in the raw water source has been fluctuating between 4-5
ppm while the Ministry of Health (MOH) limit for ammonia in both raw and treated water is
1.5ppm.
Alarm bells regarding the crisis went off quite late after almost a week went by without a drop
of water for the residents and businesses in these areas.
There is widespread inaction to identify the source of the pollution and put in place measures
to stop the pollution and bring the perpetrators to justice. Such polluting actions threatens
the country’s and its people’s security.
Given the nature of concession agreements in Malaysia (like no other in the world) which have
more than a decade long time frame, one would expect that the companies being granted the
concessions to have acquired great technological know-how and experience to manage and
anticipate crisis before they even happen.
The inaction from SYABAS and state authorities in 2014, in responding to the crisis and
also WTPs in treating ammonia in the water at the current level in Sungai Langat is seen as
primitive and lacks both innovation and foresight. Furthermore upstream in the water supply
chain, the state, the Water Services Industry Commission and the Department of Environment’s inaction against the polluters is even more disgracing.
Emergency Response Plan (ERP)
Below is the timeline of the ammonia pollution at Sungai Langat and ensuing incidents leading to an impending nationwide water emergency crisis. The situation resulted in the closure
of Mile 11 Cheras and Bukit Tampoi treatment plants and affecting 20000 accounts. The dry
spell (purported to be an annual weather condition at this time of year by the Meteorological
Service) which caused the decrease in Sungai Selangor and Klang Gate dam level led to water
rationing exercise affecting around 2.2 million people in March 2014.
The 38 tankers deployed to deliver water to the areas affected by the closure of the two treatment plants (Bukit Tampoi and Cheras Bt.11) were proven to be inadequate as shown by the
ensuing protests by residents of Balakong. SYABAS also claimed that the current numbers
of tankers are inadequate to cater for the water supply needs in these areas to begin with.
SYABAS has 66 water tankers and 750 static tanks. However, only 38 water tankers were
used to supply water to 20, 000 affected consumers. In comparison with SAINS, 35 water
tankers were employed to deliver water to 7000 affected consumers in Mambau, Sendayan
and Rasah during the same time that were already affected by dry spell which cause low water level in several dams as well as drying up the Batang Benar River.
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Date
Incident
28/01/2014
Closure of Mile 11 Cheras water treatment plant due to ammonia pollution
29/01/2014
Closure of Bukit Tampoi water treatment plant due to ammonia pollution
02/02/2014
CherasMile 11 water treatment plant resumes operations; Bukit Tampoi remains closed
04/02/2014
Cheras Mile 11 water treatment plant shuts down again
07/02/2014
Both water treatment plants temporarily shut due to high raw water
ammonia levels
12/02/2014
Complete shutdown of the two water treatment plants.
14/02/2014
Water disruption at several areas because other water treatment
plants at Sungai Langat could not cope with high demand of water
supply.
14/02/2014
8a.m. - Forum Air received complaint regarding the water disruption
from Taman AlamPerdana, one of the affected areas.
11a.m. - Forum Air conducted a site visit to the affected area after
lodging an official complaint to PUSPEL / SYABAS.
2p.m. - Ended site visit at and lodged another complaint to PUSPEL /
SYABAS.
4p.m. – First water tanker arrived.
10p.m. – Second water tanker arrived.
12a.m. – Third water tanker arrived
15/02/2014
Water supply resumed at the affected areas in Cheras after 5 days
water disruption.
18/02/2014
SYABAS proposed to the Selangor Economic Action Council (MTES) to
implement water rationing Phase 1 due to the ammonia pollution
21/02/2014
Proposal brought up to the National Water Services Commission
(SPAN) by the state government and SPAN finally gave the detailed
water distribution schedule the green light.
25/02/2014
Announcement to undertake water rationing Phase 1in 71 areas involving 60, 000 people
27/02/2014
Water rationing phase 1 commences
28/02/2014
Announcement to undertake water rationing phase 2 in 260 areas involving 2.2 million people due to dry spell causing reduction in Sungai
Selangor and Klang Gates dam level.
01/03/2014
Water rationing Phase 2 commences
Table 1: Chronology of Events 2014 Nationwide water crisis
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Residents of Taman Damai Perdana for instance did not receive any water in the first 4 days
of water supply disruption. Upon FAM’s investigation and an official complaint to SYABAS, the
water tankers arrived at Taman Damai Perdana three times (4 pm, 10 pm and 12 am) on the
same day.
Ammonia pollution of our natural water resources and subsequent water treatment plant
shutdown seems like an annual event.
No
11
Date
Location
Probable Source
1
17 June 2006
Sungai Selisek
Discharge from rubber factory
2
17 June 2006
Salak Tinggi
Leachate pollution from sanitary landfill
3
11 July 2006
Salak Tinggi
Technical failure of sewage treatment plant
4
18 August 2006
Salak Tinggi
Discharge from Nilai Industrial Park and a sewage treatment plant
5
21 August 2006
Bukit Tampoi
IWK Taman Permata
6
23 August 2006
Bukit Tampoi
Domestic and industrial effluent
7
21 September
2006
Salak Tinggi
Discharge from Nilai Industrial Park
8
5 February 2007
Bukit Tampoi
Discharge from STP during dry season
9
12 February 2007
Cheras Mile 11
Discharge from STP during dry season
10
15 February 2007
Salak Tinggi
Discharge from STP and textile factory
11
13 March 2007
Bukit Tampoi
Domestic discharge along Sg Langat
12
17 March 2007
Salak Tinggi
Discharge from STP and textile factory
13
21 February 2008
Salak Tinggi
Raw water contamination 6 km upstream
14
27 Jun 2009
Salak Tinggi
-
15
14 July 2009
Cheras Mile 11
-
16
01 January 2010
Salak Tinggi
Effluent discharge from upstream industrial area
17
09 February 2010
Salak Tinggi
Combined discharge from Nilai Industrial Park
and domestic activities exacerbated by low flow
in Sg Labu during the dry period
18
24 - 29 February
2012
Sg Selisek
Discharges from chicken farm
19
20 May 2012
Sg Selisek
Discharges from chicken farm
20
1 June 2012
Sg Selisek
Discharges from chicken farm
21
5 - 17 July 2012
Sg Selisek
Discharges from chicken farm
22
January 2013
Sg Selangor
23
January 2014
Sg Langat, Bukit
Tampoi, Batu 11
24
February 2015
Sg Semenyih
Merdeka day – diesel spillage 3 miilion accounts
affected
Ammonia Pollution (untreated seweage)
Ammonia and manganese levels high
CATCHMENT TO CONSUMERS (C2C)
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”
One of the often quoted statements by popular philosopher, George Santayana is “those who
cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”.
Human history, Malaysia’s inclusive are laden with this syndrome of forgetting the past and
repeating it. The current situation we are presented with shows an eerie resemblance to that
of 1997/1998. Not only do we face water stress due to the unusual dry season, we are also
being bombarded with predicaments such as water source pollution and also the inevitable
haze caused by uncontrollable forest fire.
A local media reported this statement 27 February 2014:
The water crisis must be giving Klang Valley residents a sense of deja vu. It is reminiscent
of the water crisis in 1998, when 1.2 million people were forced to endure days without water…….In October 1997, the Cheras Batu 11 water treatment plant was closed because of
ammonia contamination from quarries operating upstream from the plant intake point……..
In May 1998, a broken scour pipe near Sungai Buloh Leprosy Hospital affected water supply
from Sungai Selangor and caused disruptions in Subang Jaya, Klang, Damansara, and parts
of Bangsar and Petaling Jaya………During the water crisis more than a decade ago, the Malaysian Water Association said water rationing was the most sensible short-term measure
to be taken.……”
Professor Dr. Chan Ngai Weng of Water Watch Penang gave an interview to Bernama and said
this: “The El Nino in 1997/1998 not only laid bare the fragility of our water resources but
also weaknesses in its management.”He went on to say: “With the authorities acknowledging that the majority of our rivers have reached their maximum supply capacity and are
polluted to some degree, the top-down approach based on Water Supply Management
(WSM) is proven inadequate to manage our water resources in a sustainable manner,” he told in an email interview with Bernama.
Dr Chan said that since the 1997/98 El Nino, the government had promised a lot of things
and had supposedly put in place many measures to mitigate if not avoid another water crisis
in future.
As a result, he said, Malaysians had developed a false sense of security that another
El Nino would not impact them as hard as the previous one. Hence, he added, many had not
taken preventive measures to protect themselves against another prolonged drought and
water shortage.”Very few have bothered to invest in rainfall harvesting mechanisms,
construct a shallow well or tube well or even increase their water storage volume in their
water tanks.
“Even fewer have changed their water consumption patterns by adopting a more
water-wise approach when using water. As such, when the next El Nino strikes, we will
be hit just as hard, if not worse than we were the last time.”
Fast Forward 2014 – a grim reminder of 1997 Haze and 1998 Water Crisis
Is the current situation worse or business as usual i.e no improvement? Are some locations
the number of unhealthy air quality days has increased over time (based on the limited data
we have managed to access). Media reports also show that hazardous air quality days are
quite frequent and in some areas readings have broken records like never before.
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The Department of Statistics environmental compendium shows that trans-boundary air pollution may have decreased. The same compendium shows that GHG gases (especially NOx
and CO) have increased namely from power plants and mobile (or non point) sources.
Haze Episode
Highest recorded Air Pollution Index (API)
reading – based on media reports
September 1982
N/A
August 1990
464 (Klang Valley)
October 1991
445 (Petaling Jaya)
August 1994
410 (Petaling Jaya)
August 1997
860 (Kuching)
August 2005
500 (Port Klang & Kuala Selangor)
June 2013
746 (Muar)
March 2014 (to date)
350 (Banting)
Figure : Number of Days of Unhealthy Air Quality Status in Some stations in Malaysia
(extracted from the Department of Statistics Environmental Compendium)
State of Rivers in Malaysia and Rate of Deforestation
Malaysia is blessed with abundant amount of water. The annual surface runoff of Malaysia
amount to around 566 billion m3 and some 64 billion m3 are being recharged as groundwater. The surface runoffs or rivers are the major source of water in Malaysia (97%) with around
100 river systems running in Peninsular and 50 in Sabah and Sarawak.
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As discussed earlier, population growth along with agricultural and industrial development is
putting a strain on the water supply system. Furthermore, the weak policy and implementation of programmes and activities to protect river basins in the country further threatens the
raw water (source) security of the nation.
There is nowhere in any Malaysian law that the provides clear definition of a river basin allowing developers and other parties (both government and non government) having a field day
in opening up catchment areas fordevelopment, thus jeopardising raw water security.
Current water resource management often neglects river basin management and its protection. There are however some (commendable) efforts undertaken by the Department of
Irrigation and Drainage (DID).
About 41 rivers basin were identified throughout Peninsular Malaysia. DID’s management information system (MIS) was created for all water-resources related activities in these major
river basins. But this is a far cry from the integrated river basin management often cited to
help protect raw water sources and river basins.
According to DOE’s Environmental Quality Report 2012, out of 473 rivers monitored under the
river water quality monitoring programme, only 278 (59%) of river were found to be clean.
The rest were either categorised as slightly polluted (34%) or polluted (7%).
The sources for suspended solids are from improper earthworks and land clearing. Out of the
34 polluted river identified in the report, 19 were classified as Class III, 14 as Class IV, and
1 as Class V.
Figure : Status of river water quality based on Ammoniacal Nitrogen pollutant,
Malaysia, 2008-2012
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), Ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N) and suspended solids are
three of the most common pollutants. Ammoniacal nitrogen mainly originates from livestock
farming and domestic sewage whilst high BOD indicates inadequately treated sewage effluent
as well as run-offs from agro-based and manufacturing industries.
The percentage of clean river basins water that is free from NH-N decreased to 25.0 per cent
in 2012 as compared to 29.3 per cent in 2011. The decrease in the percentage of clean river
basins indirectly increases the percentage of slightly polluted river basins (47.9%) and polluted river basins (27.1%) in 2012.
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Figure : Status of river water quality based on Biochemical Oxygen Demand pollutant, Malaysia, 2008-2012
The percentage of clean river basins water that is free from BOD increased to 8.6 per cent in
2012 as compared to 2.2 per cent in 2011. The number of slightly polluted basins decreased
to 49.3 per cent while the polluted river basins increased 1.4 per cent to 42.1per cent during
the same period.
The classifications of river pollution areas below:
Class
Description
I
Conservation of natural environment.
Water supply I – Practically no treatment necessary
Fishery I – Very sensitive aquatic species
IIA
Water supply II – Conventional treatment required.
Fishery II – Sensitive aquatic species
IIB
Recreational use with body contact
III
Water supply III – Extensive treatment required
Fishery III – Common, of economic value and tolerant species; livestock drinking
IV
Irrigation
V
None of the above
The increasing number of polluted rivers indicates that the river protection works in Malaysia
are moving at a painfully slow pace, lacks public engagement and education, strict and more
coordinated approach towards implementing tighter laws.
Monitoring alone, without proper guidelines, policies, and laws are futile. River catchments
should be defined properly, gazetted, and protected under the law – PERMANENTLY!
Any form of land use and development in water catchment areas / river basins should be
curtailed.
15
CATCHMENT TO CONSUMERS (C2C)
Out Of Sight out of Mind – Not Anymore!
Whatever we discard indiscriminately will come back to haunt us through the water we drink,
the food we eat and the air we breathe. Human history is laden with hundreds of such scandals – the Three mile Island, Minamata Disease, Bhobal disaster, the e.coli and salmonella
contamination of food / vegetables etc.
16
CATCHMENT
CATCHMENTTO
TOCONSUMERS
CONSUMER (C2C)
According to a paper published in the Academic Journal of Science, 2012 - In Malaysia there
are 261 landfill sites where 111 numbers of them had been closed leaving only 150 still operating. Out of this, about 17 unsanitary landfills had been closed and 32 will be upgraded
into a complete sanitary landfill. Some statistics says that less than 10% of the operational
landfills sites classified to be sanitary while the rests are open dump or unsanitary landfills
further contributing to surface and groundwater contamination in Malaysia.
States
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
20101
Average growth rate
(1998-2000, in %)
Kuala Lumpur
n.a
n.a
1,058
1.070
1,082
1,205
1.14
Selangor
n.a
n.a
1,169
1,204
1,240
1,617
3.04
Pahang
n.a
n.a
202
206
210
252
1.98
Kelantan
n.a
n.a
123
126
120
120
-1.22
Terengganu
n.a
n.a
119
122
125
157
2.52
Negeri Sembilan
245
250
267
278
291
427
4.69
Melaka
192
200
208
216
225
322
4.30
Johor
854
890
927
956
1,005
1,456
4.49
Perlis
26
27
28
28
29
34
1.79
Kedah
507
538
569
569
631
977
5.49
Pulau Pinang
570
591
611
611
648
844
3.03
Perak
672
696
719
719
763
996
3.06
6,000
6,137
6,378
8,407
2.86
Total
3,066 3,192
Note: n.a. ~ not available
1
estimated only based on the average growth rate (1998 - 2000) for each stage
except for Kelantan
Source: Government of Malaysia (2)
Statistics of landfills in Selangor
Statistics
Number of
landfill
%
Current Status
7
37
Closed
12
63
Groundwater protection (liner)
3
No
16
16
Groundwater monitoring well
%
Worldwide landfills
1
14
KUB Berjaya
1
14
Alam Flora
3
43
Local Authorities
2
29
Distance to major river
Yes
4
21
<100m
No
15
79
>100m
21
<500m
6
35
79
>500m
11
65
EIA Study
Yes
No
4
15
Sanitary Landfill (level 4)
17
Number of
landfill
Landfill Operators (active)
Operating
Yes
Statistics
Level 4
3
18
Unsanitary
16
82
12
71
5
29
Distance to housing area
CATCHMENT TO CONSUMERS (C2C)
Effect of Climate Change
The metrology department data shows a reduction in total rainfall received in Malaysia.
Reduced rainfall and reduced number of days for rainfall influences pollutant concentrations
in rivers. Prolonged period without rain and constant discharge of pollutants results in WTP
shutdown episodes as seen in the past decade or so – increasing in frequency lately.
Adaptation and mitigation efforts should consider future rainfall patterns for siting of dams
and other water supply or sanitation service infrastructures. Water operators and sanitation service providers must also strengthen disaster management and emergency response
during floods , droughts and pollution.
18
CATCHMENT
CATCHMENTTO
TOCONSUMERS
CONSUMER (C2C)
Positions of Forum Air Malaysia
First Things First – No more Glimmer or Grace!
We demand that the water restructuring and migration of the current water supply system to the new licensing and operating regime (under the Water Service Industry Act 2006
(WSIA)) to take place NOW!.
Some agency representative state that they see a glimmer of hope that the water operators
in Selangor (where the 1998 and 2014 water crisis hit the hardest) will ‘willingly’ proceed with
the restructuring under WSIA – thus allowing them some grace period!.
The consumer organizations and members of Forum Air Malaysia (FAM) do not see any hope
nor would agree to anymore grace period.
Many civil society leaders have been involved and participated in the developments and activities leading to the enactment of the WSIA 2006 and the Water Commission Act 2006. Still
many called for radical change resulting from the 1998 Selangor water crisis – many of the
‘victims’ of 1998 themselves still remember the torment they had gone through that year and
the year before with haze.
Lately we hear media report saying that one of the water operators in Selangor will proceed
with legal actions which could further hamper the restructuring process. We urge all parties
to come together to ensure that in less than 12 months time we do not endure this kind
of crisis again!
We have no more patience or tolerance to put up with the results and consequences of incompetent management of our water supply and distribution system or the lack of capability
of many agencies to put a stop to raw water source pollution.
If clear and effective actions were taken following the 1998 water crisis, we need not have
gone through the current crisis. Those in the position to make and implement policies failed
miserably!
• Since the takeover of Selangor’s water assets by the federal government, no detailed announcements were made to inform Selangorians on the clear action plans to move water
restructuring in the state forward.
• The action plan with proposed timeline should be made available to the public in order to
give assurance that their water supply system will not be further jeopardized.
• A committee consisting of all the stakeholders such as NGOs and consumers association
should be established to ensure transparency and effectiveness of the actions taken inline with the restructuring process.
19
CATCHMENT TO CONSUMERS (C2C)
Implement Integrated Water Resource Management in Line with Water Demand
Management i.e Catchment to Consumers!
Water Demand Management is purported to be a system that advocates efficient use of water
in order to maintain vital environmental flows and to reduce dependence on costly infrastructure projects.
• Surveys and researches have pointed time and again that we use potable (precious treated water of about 23% of our daily use) to flush toilets. As atrocious as it may sound this
is a fact.
• Non-Revenue water in Malaysia in 2012 stood at an average of 36.4% i.e for every 100
litres of water treated by water operators 36.4l goes down the drain or not accounted for.
• In one neighbouring state / country only one authority manages water from catchment
to consumers. We propose that every state in Malaysia is a ‘Singapore’ and we manage
or replicate best practices and lessons from the Public Utilities Board (PUB) of Singapore.
PUB manages the complete water cycle: From sourcing, collection, purification and supply of drinking water, to treatment of used water and turning it into NEWater, drainage of
storm water.
Many examples and best practices can also be drawn from larger countries like Australia,
the United Kingdom, Japan and Korea. Dry and arid countries like Australia and the states
like Arizona in the United States almost do not ration water supply to their consumers – in
the urban areas primarily. We have many times over the amount of rainfall and YET we are
plagued by this recurring crisis.
Experts or water sector stakeholders from various parts of the world stare with disbelief
at the 2014 water crisis and state of water supply in Malaysia – How can a country with
abundant rain have water crisis?
• We MUST manage our ‘liquid assets’ (i.e raw water sources) holistically tied to sustainable
development and climate change mitigation and adaptation agenda of the country. All
other national plans or Rancangan Malaysia is tied or governed and guided by the agenda
above.
• Implement the Safe Drinking Water Quality Act immediately.
The Ministry of Health Malaysia has carried out many tests on water intake points and
also tests on water supply. The results are not accessible. The rate at which domestic and
commercial consumers are taking up domestic water treatment devices is worrying. Even
more so when the quality and performance of these devices are not verified by any authorities in Malaysia. Water vending machines placed alongside commercial buildings are
also used by many to purchase drinking water at between RM 0.10 to RM 0.30.
Tests on the quality of water from these machines showed that not all provide clean drinking water and the machines are poorly maintained. Due to imminent risks to consumers,
FAM and its members demand that this act be implemented with immediate effect.
20
CATCHMENT
CATCHMENTTO
TOCONSUMERS
CONSUMER (C2C)
• Equally important is to get the general public to have greater ownership of and
the water resources and treated water.
There have been many mechanisms or approaches used by water operators to encourage
the public to inform of broken pipes and water theft. However poor management of call
centre facilities and response time has worked against such efforts – namely in Selangor.
WE call for effective and efficient management of contact / customer services centres
to not only answer calls and put many on hold indefinitely but to actively seek consumer feedback and act on a timely manner towards enquiries and complaints. These centres must provide assurance that consumer enquiries and complaints will be dealt with
promptly and amicably.
As in the case of Selangor many a times the call centre fail to pick up calls or return
calls let alone rectify the broken pipe or take action against the theft.
We often here that any campaign organised by some agencies begins and ends with
an extravagant launching ceremony: Cintailah Sungai Kita, Water Conservation Cam
paign, Energy Efficiency (EE campaigns) to name a few.
The element of Social Impact Assessment and Public Consultation in an EIA is often
carried out to fulfil requirements of the EIA or DEIA. Several EIA / DEIA public consul
tations we had attended were poorly organised and participants poorly informed.
Transparency, accountability and good governance can never be over emphasised
when it comes to engaging the general public or stakeholders in the water and sanita
tion sector.
Government agencies should be focusing on implementation and improvement of pol
icies not carrying out awareness campaigns but providing resources to support and
maintain it. Civil society should be engaged to do this - which many researches have
shown to have better success in engaging the general public.
• National Sustainable Development and Climate Change Policy (the Mother Ship).
Despite mounting evidence that we have passed the tipping point towards an irreversible
climate change, Malaysia does not have clear policies on Climate Change or Sustainable
Development. We have paid dearly for that this year with the water crisis and some years
back due to flooding in many urban areas like Kota Tinggi and Kuala Lumpur.
All other national policies or action plans and programmes must be guided and
governed by the National Sustainable Development and Climate Change Policy.
Budget must be adequately allocated for the EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT implementation of this policy. Unnecessary funding for up-keeping of non-native animal species, building fossil fuel power plants and massive road infrastructures
does not help but further aggravate already poorly managed public funding.
Patience wearing thin
We urge the relevant authorities to find those who perpetrated the ammonia
pollution of several rivers (leading to the supply disruption during the Chinese
New Year celebration this year/last year) in Selangor and that they are dealt
with SEVERELY ad their operations shutdown.
21
CATCHMENT TO CONSUMERS (C2C)
We represent the interest of both domestic and commercial consumers in this country to
strongly and firmly express our very high level of dissatisfaction in the governance of our
water resources, water supply and sanitation.
Our patience is wearing thin.
We SHALL not bear the consequences of irresponsible individuals or organizations and institutes (government or private) contributing or causing the pollution of water sources.
Any organizations found to be engaged or causing pollution of water sources or water ways
(drainage and rivers) should be treated as public nuisance and their operations shutdown or
at least severely punished.
We live on borrowed time and the resources presented by nature to us are borrowed by the
current generation from future generation. We need to return them back the way we found
them – pristine, clean and safe.
Yes, we have a come a long way since 1957, but again “Those who cannot remember the past
are condemned to repeat it” and those who do the same thing repeatedly expecting different
results are dubbed ‘insane’.
Let’s bring some sanity to our world!
22
FORUM AIR MALAYSIA
(MALAYSIA WATER FORUM)
No. 4 Jalan SS1/22A,
47300 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Tel ; 03 - 7875 3168
Fax : 03 - 7875 2168
www.forumair.org.my