Main Issues and Challenges in Malaysia's Water Sector

Lecture 11
Issues and
challenges
in water sector
1
Main issues and challenges
faced by the Malaysia water sector
The main issues and challenges
facing the Malaysian water sector
which affect thesustainability of
development, allocation of water
among users and the efforts of the
people to achieve a better living are
briefly discussed below:
2
Main issues and challenges
faced by the Malaysia water sector
a) Institutionalandlegalissues
b) Increasedcompetitionforwater
c) Increasedfloodingproblems
d) Environmentaldegradation
e) Lowefficiencyofwateruse
f) Increased expectation of the
people
3
Issues and challenges
There is no single agency in the country entrusted with

the overall responsibility of holistic planning and
management of water.
Conflicts in water resources management such as

allocation of water rights, flood management,
pollution control, environmental protection, etc, are
resolved through inter-agency coordination and
consultation.
4
However, at the federal level, a

National Water Resources
Council (NWRC) has been set
up to pursue a more effective
water management, including
the implementation of
interstate water transfers.
5
Malaysia suffers from a excess of sector-based

water laws, both at federal and state levels, and
from the lack of a comprehensive water law.
At present, water legislation is contained within the

laws that are enforced by the various water-
related government agencies, and many of these
laws are outdated, redundant or ambiguous.
6
This diversified water legislation focuses on limited

aspects of water resources and water supply
directly related to the responsibilities of the
respective government agencies and thus
difficult to enforce effectively.
7
b)Increasedcompetitionforwater
The growth in population and GDP over the last three

decades has resulted in heavy demand for water.
The problem of population growth is particularly felt in

the urban areas, due to rural-urban migration and growing
urbanization.
8
The exponential growth in urban population has stretched

the governments ability to answer infrastructure and
service needs and provide the environmental conditions
required for better living.
Often the supporting infrastructure for the collection,

treatment and disposal of sewage and solid wastes is
inadequate to cope with the amounts generated.
9
This state of affairs raises problems of water and air

pollution, public health and urban environmental
degradation.
The increased demand for the limited and diminishing

supply of clean water available has led to competition
among the various water users, a competition the
continued economic growth exacerbates increasingly.
10
In addition, as the readily available portion of water

resources has already been developed for use in
practically all regions of major water demand, future
water resources development will require the construction
of more storage dams.
These are not only costly to build: theres a high price to

pay in environmental terms as well.
11
Furthermore, the practicable limit of surface water

resources development has been reached in some regions
of high demand, and it has become necessary to consider
inter-basin and interstate surface water transfer schemes.
12
c)Increasedfloodingproblems
Ironically, at times of water shortages, parts of Malaysia

face significant flood problems.
Although floods are natural phenomena arising from

excessive rainfall overwhelming existing waterways for a
while, uncontrolled development activities in watershed
areas and along river corridors can increase the severity of
floods.
13
The high rate of sedimentation in the rivers has adversely

affected their drainage capacity, leading to more frequent
floods in downstream areas and to more intense flooding.
Incidences of flash floods in urban areas are on the rise

due to the runoff characteristics of built-up areas.
14
The high rainfall during the monsoon results in large areas

being subjected to flooding.
It has been estimated that altogether about 29 000 km2 or

nine percent of the total land area of Malaysia are flood-
prone, affecting some 12 percent of the population.
15
The average annual flood damage was estimated at

RM100 million in 1980, but this has increased due to
urban expansion and the escalation of land and property
prices.
Absolute control over floods is rarely feasible either

physically or economically.
16
However, flood mitigation measures are undertaken to

reduce flood damage to a minimum, consistent with the
cost involved.
Besides the construction of dams and reservoirs and the

improvement of river systems, measures to increase
infiltration and to store the excess water in small ponds
and retention basins are being promoted.
17
The Department of Irrigation and Drainage produces a

storm water management manual to address the incidence
of flash floods in urban areas.
18
The Department of Irrigation and Drainage produces a

storm water management manual to address the incidence
of flash floods in urban areas.
19
d)Environmentaldegradation
The development of public utilities such as water supply,

sewerage, and urban drainage and flood mitigation
programmes helps to promote economic growth and
improve the quality of life.
However, this economic development and the resulting

rapid urbanization and industrialization have given rise to
problems of increased water pollution.
20
The main sources of organic water pollution are domestic

and industrial sewage, effluent from palm oil mills, rubber
factories and animal husbandry.
Mining operations, housing and road development,

logging and clearing of forest are major causes of high
concentration of suspended sediments in the rivers.
21
In several urban and industrial areas, organic pollution of

water has resulted in environmental problems and
adversely affected aquatic life.
In addition to organic wastes, rivers remain a convenient

means of solid waste disposal.
22
A major portion of household refuse which is not

collected, burnt or buried finds its way into drains and
rivers.
In the Klang Valley, an estimated 80 tons of waste ends up

in the river system every day.
23
River water quality and pollution control need to be

addressed urgently since 98 percent of the total water used
originates from rivers.
Almost all of the investments in water-related

infrastructure depend on reasonable river water quality.
24
e)Lowefficiencyofwateruse
Efficiency of water use in general is low.
Irrigation efficiency is in the range of 40 to 50 percent,

because almost all of the irrigation systems are open
systems designed to take advantage of flooding.
As irrigation water is charged on a per-area basis rather

than on volume used and is relatively cheap, there is little
incentive for farmers to use the water efficiently.
25
There is also a high proportion of unaccounted-for water

in urban water supply systems, as one quarter to one third
of the domestic and industrial water is lost before it
reaches the consumers.
These losses are the result of leaks in the distribution

systems and of illegal connections.
26
As the physical limits of water supply are being reached,

more emphasis is now placed on reducing the losses and
thus increasing the net supply through improved
efficiency in water use.
27
f)Increasedexpectationofthepeople
Since Independence, Malaysia has undergone rapid

economic and social development and, together with
better education, this has boosted peoples expectations of
better standards of living.
Water shortages and flooding are no longer thought of as

natural disasters to be endured and accepted.
28
At the same time, environmental awareness in the country

has grown, as reflected in the growing number of public
complaints on environmental pollution.
This reflects both the increase in the number of pollution

sources due to the higher level of economic activities or
the encroachment of new housing areas around existing
factories or industries, and a greater awareness of the
dangers of environmental pollution.
29
The increased expectations of the people will bring about

heavier demands on the water resources, both for water
supply and for pollution control.
In the context of increased demand from population

growth and industrialization competing for diminishing
water availability, theneed for optimum utilization of
water takes on greater urgency, moving towards efficiency
and effectiveness of use, as well as conservation and
sustainability. 30
Tutorial 5
With reference to Malaysia, discuss the main
issues and challenges faced by the water
sector
31

Main Issues and Challenges in Malaysia's Water Sector

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Lecture 11

There is no single agency in the country entrusted with

Conflicts in water resources management such as

However, at the federal level, a

Malaysia suffers from a excess of sector-based

At present, water legislation is contained within the

This diversified water legislation focuses on limited

The growth in population and GDP over the last three

The problem of population growth is particularly felt in

The exponential growth in urban population has stretched

Often the supporting infrastructure for the collection,

This state of affairs raises problems of water and air

The increased demand for the limited and diminishing

In addition, as the readily available portion of water

These are not only costly to build: theres a high price to

Furthermore, the practicable limit of surface water

Ironically, at times of water shortages, parts of Malaysia

Although floods are natural phenomena arising from

The high rate of sedimentation in the rivers has adversely

Incidences of flash floods in urban areas are on the rise

The high rainfall during the monsoon results in large areas

It has been estimated that altogether about 29 000 km2 or

The average annual flood damage was estimated at

Absolute control over floods is rarely feasible either

However, flood mitigation measures are undertaken to

Besides the construction of dams and reservoirs and the

The Department of Irrigation and Drainage produces a

The Department of Irrigation and Drainage produces a

The development of public utilities such as water supply,

However, this economic development and the resulting

The main sources of organic water pollution are domestic

Mining operations, housing and road development,

In several urban and industrial areas, organic pollution of

In addition to organic wastes, rivers remain a convenient

A major portion of household refuse which is not

In the Klang Valley, an estimated 80 tons of waste ends up

River water quality and pollution control need to be

Almost all of the investments in water-related

Efficiency of water use in general is low.

Irrigation efficiency is in the range of 40 to 50 percent,

As irrigation water is charged on a per-area basis rather

There is also a high proportion of unaccounted-for water

These losses are the result of leaks in the distribution

As the physical limits of water supply are being reached,

Since Independence, Malaysia has undergone rapid

Water shortages and flooding are no longer thought of as

At the same time, environmental awareness in the country

This reflects both the increase in the number of pollution

The increased expectations of the people will bring about

In the context of increased demand from population

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