Courage needed in solving water problems
Thursday, 08 Aug 2019
WE have a looming water crisis and it has been stated that the only way to combat this is to preserve our forests, protect the catchment areas and make sure there is no more wastage through non-revenue water loss.
In the article “Reserve may turn into plantation” (The Star, Aug 3), it was reported that an area 5,000ha wide in the Jerangau forest reserve in Terengganu may be turned into a plantation forest pending approval from the Department of Environment. According to conservationists, this forest reserve has trees like the rare Keruing Sarawak growing naturally there and they fear that development would affect the nearby rivers and threaten the habitat of endangered species.
The project is expected to bring revenue to the state and, as always, its long-term effects are not being considered.
Non-revenue water loss in Malaysia is calculated to be at the rate of 5,929 million litres per day of treated water, which is sufficient to meet the demand in Selangor and Johor (3,316 million litres and 1,320 million litres a day respectively).
When Datuk Seri Azmin Ali was mentri besar of Selangor, there was a proposal to replace all the old pipes and repair faulty equipment to solve the problem of non-revenue water loss. A time frame was given for the installation of new pipes and repair of all the faulty equipment, but the project fizzled out due to the poor quality of pipes that were procured. How can a project that was supposed to solve the water problem in Selangor come to an end just because of this glitch?
Solving the problem of non-revenue water must be addressed because the amount wasted can actually make up for the current deficit. Therefore, it would be more sensible to spend money and efforts on solving the problem of non-revenue water rather than investing in looking for alternative sources like underground water, which is not a long-term solution and would just lead to bigger problems in future.
Water up to a certain volume is also being given to consumers for free as a way to gain popularity and acceptance. This cannot be allowed to continue as it leads to wastage. In fact, incentives should be given for using less water. I hope the current government has the courage to reverse the free water ruling for the greater good.
Protecting our water sources is vital. A safe buffer zone must be drawn up around our rivers and water basins where businesses, legal or otherwise, are not allowed to operate. These zones must be monitored constantly by the authorities concerned so that they do not become dumping grounds.
Last but not least, protect our forests. According to Wong Ee Lynn in her letter “Durable solutions for water security” (The Star, July 31), “a fully grown tree releases 1,000 litres of water vapour a day into the atmosphere. Thus, logging leads to higher temperatures and a decline in rainfall due to the reduced ability of a cleared or decimated forest to absorb solar energy and release water vapour. The drought in the northern states of Peninsular Malaysia in 2016 was directly related to logging activities in the Ulu Muda forest.”
These are the effects of deforestation, so how could the Department of Environment approve developments like the one in Jerangau forest reserve in Terengganu and Bukit Cerakah in Shah Alam?
Ministers, please stop all the internal politicking and look around you. Malaysia is not developing but is instead slowly moving towards self-destruction. So much has been lost in the name of development. Please stop and take stock of what is happening. The water crisis is real and even bigger than losing an election. Imagine a time when we won’t have water.
KAMAL GEHI
Subang Jaya
In the article “Reserve may turn into plantation” (The Star, Aug 3), it was reported that an area 5,000ha wide in the Jerangau forest reserve in Terengganu may be turned into a plantation forest pending approval from the Department of Environment. According to conservationists, this forest reserve has trees like the rare Keruing Sarawak growing naturally there and they fear that development would affect the nearby rivers and threaten the habitat of endangered species.
Non-revenue water loss in Malaysia is calculated to be at the rate of 5,929 million litres per day of treated water, which is sufficient to meet the demand in Selangor and Johor (3,316 million litres and 1,320 million litres a day respectively).
When Datuk Seri Azmin Ali was mentri besar of Selangor, there was a proposal to replace all the old pipes and repair faulty equipment to solve the problem of non-revenue water loss. A time frame was given for the installation of new pipes and repair of all the faulty equipment, but the project fizzled out due to the poor quality of pipes that were procured. How can a project that was supposed to solve the water problem in Selangor come to an end just because of this glitch?
Solving the problem of non-revenue water must be addressed because the amount wasted can actually make up for the current deficit. Therefore, it would be more sensible to spend money and efforts on solving the problem of non-revenue water rather than investing in looking for alternative sources like underground water, which is not a long-term solution and would just lead to bigger problems in future.
Water up to a certain volume is also being given to consumers for free as a way to gain popularity and acceptance. This cannot be allowed to continue as it leads to wastage. In fact, incentives should be given for using less water. I hope the current government has the courage to reverse the free water ruling for the greater good.
Protecting our water sources is vital. A safe buffer zone must be drawn up around our rivers and water basins where businesses, legal or otherwise, are not allowed to operate. These zones must be monitored constantly by the authorities concerned so that they do not become dumping grounds.
Last but not least, protect our forests. According to Wong Ee Lynn in her letter “Durable solutions for water security” (The Star, July 31), “a fully grown tree releases 1,000 litres of water vapour a day into the atmosphere. Thus, logging leads to higher temperatures and a decline in rainfall due to the reduced ability of a cleared or decimated forest to absorb solar energy and release water vapour. The drought in the northern states of Peninsular Malaysia in 2016 was directly related to logging activities in the Ulu Muda forest.”
These are the effects of deforestation, so how could the Department of Environment approve developments like the one in Jerangau forest reserve in Terengganu and Bukit Cerakah in Shah Alam?
Ministers, please stop all the internal politicking and look around you. Malaysia is not developing but is instead slowly moving towards self-destruction. So much has been lost in the name of development. Please stop and take stock of what is happening. The water crisis is real and even bigger than losing an election. Imagine a time when we won’t have water.
KAMAL GEHI
Subang Jaya
Comments
Post a Comment