Make water everyone’s business


  • Letters
  • Thursday, 20 Apr 2017

DROUGHTS in Malaysia have become more common nowadays. Experts recently warned of another El Nino towards the end of 2017. Water shortage will again rear its ugly head. The 1998 water crisis serves as a grim reminder of the chaos created. Domestic water supplies were seriously interrupted. Rationing was unavoidable. Many industries suffered considerable losses. Droughts had also disrupted irrigation. Crop failures caused hardships to many farming families. Palm oil production will again suffer during times of water deficiencies.

It is ironic that Malaysia, blessed with 2,500mm rainfall annually, should experience water shortages. Population growth, urbanisation, industrialisation, and irrigated agriculture have all created the growing thirst for water. More water use has also led to rising incidence of water pollution. But critics claim past approaches towards management have been largely sectoral, and very much supply-driven. Future demands for water were mostly projected through unrealistic scenarios. The typical responses have been merely adding supply through new or upgraded infrastructure.

Get 30% off with our ads free Premium Plan!

Monthly Plan

RM13.90/month
RM9.73 only

Billed as RM9.73 for the 1st month then RM13.90 thereafters.

Annual Plan

RM12.33/month
RM8.63/month

Billed as RM103.60 for the 1st year then RM148 thereafters.

1 month

Free Trial

For new subscribers only


Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
Opinion , Letters

Next In Letters

Call for restructuring of nurses’ salaries
Designing a supportive return-to-work process
Proof that smart strategies work
Giving parties with strong legal claims access to justice
How Palestine and Syria will shape the future
Swift action needed to protect domestic steel industry
No compromise in fighting corruption
Improving automated customer service
Malaysia’s no-show at a crucial migration conference
Gaps in rights advocacy

Others Also Read