KUCHING: Sarawak is testing the feasibility of using desalination plants as an option to overcome water interruptions in areas where the intake sources have dried up due to the effects of El Nino.
State Utility and Telecommunication Minister Datuk Seri Julaihi Narawi told the state assembly on Monday (Oct 19) this was one of four measures his ministry and agencies under it – Sarawak Rural Water Supply Department, Sarawak Water and Sarawak Energy – are taking to prepare for the worst of El Nino.
He said another reason why Sarawak is looking at desalination plants is because some of the rivers that are a source of water, particularly those near coastal areas, have experienced saltwater intrusion due to El Nino.
However, he did not go into details on where the tests were conducted.
Other measures Sarawak is taking to prepare for a more severe period of El Nino, which Julaihi said "is expected to reach strong to very strong levels and is likely to continue until January through March 2027", is to muster a fleet of 126 tanker lorries for water delivery to affected areas and establishing 32 water collection centres in the potentially badly affected areas of Sri Aman, Betong and Kapit.
The reduction in rainfall distribution in Sarawak due to the weather phenomenon, Julaihi said, has caused river levels, water intakes and hydroelectric dam levels to drop, affecting water treatment plant operations, electricity generation capacity and the daily lives of the people, especially rural communities depending on river water sources.
Desalination plants have been tested and implemented in localised or island contexts in Malaysia, such as small-scale pilot setups or projects like Pulau Besar in Melaka to avoid costly water barging.
The technology employed is typically seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO).
In SWRO, saline or brackish water is forced through semi-permeable membranes at high pressure to filter out salt and impurities, turning it into potable drinking water.
