Malaysia is not immune to the impact of water on both extremes of the spectrum; water scarcity on the one hand, and water in excess on the other.
This letter highlights the need for sustainable management of water and environment to help the country address the issues related to flood resilience, drought, water and environmental pollution, as well as water security.
In view of this, below are some critical action points that we can take away from the 1st International Conference on Water and Environment for Sustainability (ICWES 2022), which was organised by The University of Nottingham Malaysia:
Interdisciplinary collaboration
In the face of extreme events and climate change, addressing water-related issues require an interdisciplinary approach.
Engaging experts from different backgrounds in water and environmental-related academia, research institutions, industry players, engineers, non-government organisations, policymakers, and government agencies is the best approach to integrate current scientific knowledge with management approaches, social sciences, and engineering solutions.
We witnessed the power of bringing these parties together at the ICWES 2022 which was a powerhouse of viable solutions to water-related issues. For example, among them were the potential of coastal reservoirs as a sustainable solution for water security including flood resilience, and the curation of bioretention systems as a filtration solution to eliminate suspended solids and other water-bound contaminants, for urban stormwater reuse.
The prospect for Malaysia’s progress in providing water-related solutions is promising with such continuing multidisciplinary engagement.
Enhancing legislation
According to the Department of Drainage and Irrigation, there are some 150 river systems in Peninsular Malaysia and a further 50 river systems in Sabah and Sarawak.
Almost all major towns in Malaysia are located beside a river which plays a major role in shaping and influencing the development of the nation. This calls for greater care of Malaysia’s river basins as a water resource.
We see great opportunity for the set up an institutional framework to manage water resources in an integrated manner by expediting the tabling of the National Water Resources Law (NWRL) in Parliament, and thereafter a uniform adoption by all states. This step will help bridge gaps, and address fragmented, overlapping, or out-dated laws.
The NWRL is also key to facilitating the adoption of an Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM).
IRBM is a process of coordinating conservation, management and development of water, land, and related resource across sectors within a given river basin. Its goal is to maximise the economic and social benefits derived from water resources in an equitable and sustainable manner.
To complement this, an alignment of functions and responsibilities with the National Water Policy and of the proposed NWRL is needed.
Currently, each state is responsible for the management of its own land and water resources. Formation of a holistic federal institutional body for water governance mandated by legislation is necessary to perform water resources management functions. Moreover, the establishment of an organisation at the river basin level is key to address this.
Shared responsibility
Caring for our rivers, coastlines and other bodies of water is critical for sustaining biodiversity of the ecosystem and general quality of life.
This calls for greater emphasis on river water quality assessment based on the Water Quality Index (WQI), monitoring for major rivers, and enforcement in relation to point source pollution by relevant agencies.
Discharge from individual septic tanks and isolated sewage effluents continue to be one of the major river pollutants. Greater control and enforcement on non-point source pollution by relevant agencies is key in this respect.
The public too have an active role to play by keeping waste away from water sources and rivers by carrying out domestic practices such as disposing used cooking oil at designated collection centres instead of pouring it down the kitchen sink, and repurposing kitchen scraps into compost for garden plants.
Water is essential to life. The sustainability of the ecosystem involving all life forms including humans, plants and animals alike depend on it. In a nutshell, if we are to progress in achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we must move collectively through strong cooperation and coordination of interdisciplinary parties towards implementing integrated and sustainable solutions to address pressing water and environment issues for a better quality of life.
ICWES 2022 with the theme ‘Towards Sustainable Water and Environment Management for the Future’, was held concurrently with the Asiawater 2022, the region’s leading water & wastewater event for developing Asia in December, together with co-organisers, the Malaysia Chapters for the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR) and the International Association for Coastal Reservoir Research (IACRR).
The conference connected over 120 of the best local and international minds in the field of water and environment from the UK, Europe, New Zealand, China, India, Pakistan, Palestine, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Taiwan among others.
Dr Teo Fang Yenn,
ICWES 2022 chair of the organising committee.
