PM: Govt committed to ensure water supply meets demand

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin says Malaysia will strive to ensure that the country’s water resources is managed sustainably and that water must be “treated with respect”.

He said this will contribute to the overall achievement of the national key performance index of 99 per cent water supply coverage, 80 per cent connected sewerage services and the national target of 25 per cent in reducing non-revenue water by 2030.

READ ALSO > Water cuts: Over 1mil accounts in S'gor affected as plants shut down due to contamination again

However, he said the impact of climate change might affect the capacity to meet water demand and the implementation of water infrastructure projects.

"The impact of climate change on water resources alters the availability, quantity and quality of water supply cycle while contributing to extreme weather, causing long drought and extreme flood disaster, ” he said in his speech before opening the virtual International Greentech and Eco-products Exhibition and Conference 2020 (IGEM 2020) on Monday (Oct 19).

Muhyiddin said the government had plans to explore other alternatives or unconventional water resources, such as groundwater abstraction, rainwater harvesting or even stormwater harvesting using off-river storage and coastal reservoirs.

Towards sustainable development, Muhyiddin said the government, spearheaded by the Environment and Water Ministry, was also in the midst of preparing an Environmental Sustainability Roadmap, a document with clear targets and indicators towards a green and sustainable pathway from 2020 to 2030.

The Prime Minister said the government had also launched the Green Technology Master Plan (GTMP), which strategically outlines approaches up to the year 2030 for green technology development to create a low carbon and resource-efficient economy.

"We have also galvanised several cities in Malaysia to set a low-carbon vision and develop a low-carbon action plan, ” he said, adding that a total of 52 local authorities were now part of the Low Carbon City Framework Programme which encourages strategies and actions to reduce carbon emissions. – Bernama