By : ERDA KHURSYIAH BASIR
Malaysians use an average 200 litres of water per capita per day, which is beyond the World Health Organisation’s recommended level of 165 litres.
The statistics are nothing new and Malaysians’ excessive consumption of water can be attributed to the nation’s water tariffs which are among the lowest in the world.
Recently, Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar announced that water tariff rates may be increased in stages this year, in line with the government’s efforts to restructure the country’s water supply services industry.
He said the increase in rates was necessary to protect the consumers’ interests and ensure good water quality.
The minister also gave his assurance that it would not burden the people and that the ministry was working with the National Water Service Commission and discussing it with the state governments to get the agreement of all parties before implementing the higher tariffs.
The proposal, however, has been criticised by some parties who felt that the move would burden consumers in view of the nation’s uncertain economic scenario.
They said the government should, instead, focus on efforts to cut down water wastage.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Faculty of Science and Technology lecturer Prof Dr Yang Farina Abdul Aziz, who is also a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, said she viewed the higher water tariff proposal as one way to educate the people on using water more prudently.
“So much of water is being wasted despite various campaigns (by the government to urge people to conserve water). But people still have no regard for water because they think it’s cheap.
“If our people can pay their telephone bill, electricity bill and various other bills, why are they making so much noise when the government said it wants to increase the water tariff, even though it is for their own good?” she asked.
Water and Energy Consumer Association of Malaysia president T Saravanan, meanwhile, said the move to increase the water tariffs was necessary in order to enforce the mindset that water was a very valuable and priceless resource.
He said the higher tariffs would also enable water services companies to improve their efficiency by replacing old pipes and using new technologies for water treatment.
Pointing out that Malaysia’s water tariff, at 52 sen per cubic metre, was among the lowest in the world, Yang Farina said even neighbouring countries like Thailand charged more RM1 per cubic metre and Singapore, about RM3.
“Some Malaysians are even getting free water. When a resource is cheap and easily available, they don’t have this sense of responsibility towards conserving water. And, they certainly don’t feel the need to use this resource prudently,” she said.
As Malaysians use about 210 litres of water per person per day, it translates to wastage of about 50 litres of water (per person per day). Just imagine how much water is being wasted.
If the water tariffs are raised, Malaysians can expect the overall quality of the product to improve. This will not only include better quality of water but also fewer or no more water cuts and rationing.
Yang Farina said while the “returns” would be appropriate to the rate hike, when it came to the maintenance of water quality, it would still come down to the attitude of the people themselves.
“Just look at our rivers and see how many of them are polluted. In Selangor, for instance, the water treatment plants in Langat and Semenyih had to be shut down a few times due to pollution issues in Sungai Semantan and Sungai Semenyih. Who do you think are the culprits if not the people themselves?
“Based on my own experience with Sungat Langat, I found that it was polluted due to indiscriminate dumping of garbage, including oil, into the river by the community,” she said, adding that any rubbish thrown into drains also ended up in the water channels.
The higher water tariffs will also enable the relevant water concession companies to conduct more research on improving the nation’s water quality, as well as carry out outreach programmes to create more public awareness on the water issue.
With the current low rates, the concession companies cannot do much.
On Malaysia’s water quality and the threat posed by emerging pollutants, Yang Farina said research by local universities has indicated the existence of pollutants that not only affected the quality of marine water but also river water, as well as the entire ecosystem, including wildlife that lived on land.
Certain emerging pollutants, she said, have the potential to become agents that can transport other pollutants, particularly those that are hydrophobic (can only dissolve in oil but not water) and have toxic properties that can pose a threat to various organisms and even humans.
UKM has conducted research on river water to determine the effects of pharmaceutical products and traces of paracetamol (a common painkiller) were found in the water.
Paracetamol is not completely absorbed by the body and it (traces of the drug) is excreted through urine. If the paracetamol traces enter our treatment plant, it cannot be treated because we still use conventional methods of treatment.
To ensure better water quality, the government has to carry out more studies and research to find out more about the pollutants found in the nation’s rivers and how they can be treated effectively.
Saravanan, meanwhile, said safe drinking water was a fundamental requirement for maintaining public health and supporting healthy communities.
He said since 2003 the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations has been advocating for a Safe Drinking Water Act to protect public drinking water supplies throughout the nation and ensure that consumers have access to safe water.
“Under the proposed law, a regulator will be appointed to be responsible for setting the minimum health standards for tap water and all owners or operators of public water systems will be required to comply with these standards.
“The United Nations considers universal access to clean water a basic human right and an essential step towards improving living standards worldwide. Therefore, the current government must ensure that all Malaysians get to enjoy safe water,” he added. -Bernama
