How To Avoid A Stressful Water Crisis

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By Melati Mohd Ariff

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 8 (Bernama) -- "The Heat is On," is the headline of a local English daily on Wednesday. It's a grim reminder that with each passing day the world is getting warmer and drier.

Whether we like it or not, this means we have to get ready for another round of water cuts and water rationing!

But then again how many of us appreciate the fact that water is not simply a commodity but a vital essence of life and should be appreciated, not wasted.

Often we only realise its significance when our taps run dry. We vow to be more careful with our water consumption but when the taps flow again, we end up contributing to yet another cycle of water wastage.

WATER MANAGEMENT IN QUESTION

Water activist like Prof Dr Chan Ngai Weng has seen and heard it all, especially since the El Nino phenomenon of 1997/1998.

"The El Nino in 1997/1998 not only laid bare the fragility of our water resources but also weaknesses in its management," he said, and painful as this may sound, these are hard facts to Dr Chan who is also the president of Water Watch Penang (WWP), a non-governmental organisation set up at the peak of the water crisis in Penang in 1997.

"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."

FINITE VS DEMAND

Dam building and water treatment plant construction continue to be the main focus of the authorities but not water education and water conservation, which to Dr Chan should be done simultaneously.

The Malaysian government, he said, must realise that it could not keep on supplying water as the amount of water "is finite but demand is forever increasing".

"Consumers must be taught the value of water and how to use water wisely. We are not suggesting that all Malaysians should save water so much so it jeopardises their health and sanitary functions.

"What we are suggesting is that all Malaysians should use water wisely and carefully, that is, never waste water but make every drop count," he stressed.

As water resources are becoming increasingly scarce, Malaysians need to exercise more control over their water consumption.

But Malaysians continue to use too much water and according to Dr Chan, an average Malaysian uses about 310 litres per day (LPD).

The United Nation's international standard recommends that each person have access to at least 165 litres of water per day.

"Hence, the average Malaysian is overusing about 145 LPD. As a comparison, the average African uses only about 50 LPD, the average Indian (in India) uses about 100 LPD. Our neighbour Singapore's usage is about 150 LPD per person," he said, adding that the figures he quoted were statistics taken from the United Nations, Malaysian Water Association and WWP.

SAVE WATER CAMPAIGN

Dr Chan lamented the inconsistency and lack of concerted efforts on the part of the government to inculcate prudent water usage among the masses.

"All these years since the El Nino of 1997, have you seen any advertisement on TV advising people not to waste water? Only in 2006 did the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications launch a nationwide Save Water Campaign," he said, adding that WWP was also involved in the national campaign.

He said the campaign was an important milestone in water conservation in Malaysia as it signified that the government acknowledged the importance of increasing public awareness, educating and involving the masses in saving water.

However, to ensure its success, a campaign should not be just limited to a specific period or when the funding runs out.

"It should be continuous so that the entire nation can be reached and sensitised," said Dr Chan who is also a professor in the Geography Department at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang.

"People need to be reminded all the time about the importance of water and its conservation. In fact, water conservation should be included in the school curriculum, in related subjects," he suggested.

ACTIVE ROLE OF CONSUMERS

However, a campaign's success story rests with the active participation of consumers or else the huge sum of money spent will be meaningless.

In other words, said to Dr Chan, "if consumers have high awareness, are well-informed, educated and sensitised towards water conservation, most of the water problem is solved".

"As Malaysian society becomes more affluent, it is imperative that the public be allowed to participate not only in water conservation but also in other important issues affecting their lives.

"The public is powerful and can determine the success or failure of water management as they are the domestic water users who consume roughly more than half of the country's total water demand. Because of this huge volume, any reduction in consumption, even a mere 10 percent can save the country a lot of water."

WHERE WOMEN MATTER

Women are generally accepted as "home managers" as they not only take care of the family's purse but also perform the bulk of the domestic chores, meaning they have a vital role in water conservation.

"When women save water in their home, it is hoped that they would eventually educate their family members about the importance of water conservation," said Dr Chan.

"As most teachers are also women, they too can contribute immensely in educating the young in the ultimate creation of a water-saving society in Malaysia."

Hence, he said, the government and women's organisations should focus on the role of women in water conservation.

"Currently, most women organisations are only focusing on issues like domestic violence, equal opportunities, sexual harassment, etc," he observed.

WWP, he said, had carried out water conservation activities since its inception in 1997 with all the activities targeted towards enhancing water awareness and education.

The main objective of the activities, he added, was to eventually create a "water-saving society" in Penang instead of "water-wasting society". (For more information on WWP, log on to http://www.waterwatchpenang.org).

SOME TIPS ON WATER CONSERVATIION

Whether we are heading towards another water crisis as a result of global warming and El Nino this year, it is still very much a wait-and-see situation.

However, it may be less stressful and painful if the public get used to the idea of saving water.

So, what we can do right now is get people ready to save water.

For example, if every Malaysian flushes one flush less per day, about 234 million litres of water can be saved per day!

"This amount of water can fill approximately 10 medium-sized dams," said Dr Chan.

In fact, there are many other areas in which we can play an equally important role in saving water. For example, check and control the frequency of our household and personal chores like washing our hair, clothes, floors and cars, watering our plants and changing the water in the aquarium.

For more water-saving tips, visit WWP's website at the address given above.

-- BERNAMA