Free water is populism gone mad!
Kua Kia Soong, The Malaysian Insider
The intention by the Selangor State government to provide free water to the residents of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya in addition to its free water policy in Selangor after its water restructuring exercise is populism gone mad.
It is amazing that at a time when Selangor and other parts of the country are experiencing critical water shortage during the current drought, the need for water management has been sacrificed for pork-barrel, populist handouts.
Malaysians, be warned! Free water is not like any other populist handout – there are dire consequences. The Orang Asli community at Kuala Kubu Baru had to sacrifice their traditional ancestral homes in 1999 for the Selangor river dam because it was considered necessary to meet the water demands of the Klang valley. Selangor lost one of its most pristine white water rafting sites that was acclaimed to be of world class! Taxpayers had to bear the cost of the dam through indirect taxation. The rising cost of living is but the result of uneconomic projects by the authorities, a burden we are paying for today.
Even if some Malaysians don’t care about the plight of the Orang Asli or the displacement of other indigenous peoples for dam projects, their own discomfort during any water shortages should be enough to warn them of the even worse catastrophe in the looming water crises to come. We have been warned that future wars will be fought over this increasingly scarce resource: water.
When water tariffs are low (never mind, free!), consumers have no incentive to conserve water. The evidence and statistics on the water consumption rate of Malaysians speak for themselves. The current water shortage and looming water crisis brought about by population growth and erratic rain patterns should wake Malaysians up to the urgent need for water demand management.
It’s water-demand management stupid!
During the campaign by SOS (Save Our Sungai) Selangor against the dam in 1999, we stressed the urgent need for water-demand management. Water-demand management includes targets set for per capita water use, and reductions in non-revenue water.
Malaysia is blessed to be among the countries in the world with abundant rain water, yet we are the worst squanderers of this natural resource. We have many times more water than most African countries and yet we are facing a water shortage crisis. According to Water Watch Penang, Malaysians are among the worst water wasters in the world, with a national average water consumption of 212 litres/capita/day, while 20 to 30 litres of water per person per day is considered adequate for basic human needs. Urban Malaysians are worse – they use more than 500 litres/capita/day. (The Star, 18.2.2014:32)
A comprehensive water demand management policy would include changes to building by-laws, through subsidising the installation of water saving devices in business and residential properties and through giving industry incentives to switch to water-efficient technologies, besides incentives to household consumers to conserve water.
Repiping and recycling the water network
The government had admitted the fact that as much as 40% of piped water is lost through leakage and faulty metres. It follows that if we could save this 40% of our water supply, recycle river water and have an effective water conservation programme, we would not need any more dams. Mark my words, before long we will again be told that we need yet another dam to meet the water shortage!
I have been told by informed sources that in fact, the Water Department has lost the maps of the piping system – I stand to be proven wrong by the appropriate authorities. If so, could this be the reason why we have not heard any undertaking by the authorities so far to re-pipe the entire water network? Otherwise they should get on with re-piping immediately.
In 2010, a study by the Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia (Awer) revealed that the country’s water industry lost nearly half of its total revenue of RM4bn, or RM1.7bn, to non-revenue water (NRW). Awer said Selangor recorded the highest volume of NRW, losing nearly RM600m in just one year. (The Star, 6.1.2012:27) Non-revenue water is water that has been treated but is lost through leaks, thefts or faults in metering before reaching the customer.
If other countries can rely on recycling river water for their water supply without resorting to building dams, is there any good reason why it cannot be done in this country? In the light of an impending water crisis, why has an emergency plan for cleaning our rivers and recycling river water not been announced and widely publicised?
If we are serious about attracting tourists and breaking out of the mould of a filthy developing country, it is surely time to clean up all our rivers and drains. If we can build the world’s tallest twin towers, there is no reason why we cannot have the resources to clean up and recycle our river waters.
