KUALA LUMPUR: WATER experts have proposed the use of membrane technology for clean water treatment to address the shortage of treated drinking quality water in the Klang Valley.
International Islamic University Malaysia water quality and modelling associate professor Dr Zaki Zainudin said drinking water treatment plants could be upgraded to incorporate membrane technology.
However, he noted that there should be concurrent steps to reduce pollution.
Zaki said Singapore had turned sewage water to potable drinking water using membrane technology, and Middle Eastern countries had used the technology to convert seawater into freshwater.
“However, that’s because they don’t have sufficient or dependable raw water resources. As a tropical country, our water resource is in abundance. It’s only that during the dry season, the water becomes too polluted to be used.”
Zaki said it would be better if improvement in water quality was achieved through pollution control and mitigation.
He said treatment plants should be upgraded in terms of treatment quality.
“Most of our plants employ conventional treatment technology, which from an engineering standpoint, is considered basic. With the advent of modernisation, development and more diverse pollution sources, it’s high time that our plants are upgraded.”
Zaki said the real reasons behind the inadequate water supply were poor catchment management (pollution control), and supply and demand management.
He said there was a need for better coordination between relevant agencies and departments at the federal level, as well as coordination of federal and state authorities in all aspects of catchment management.
“We also need to stock up our reserves, so that we have more than sufficient surplus. We should optimise our water consumption, reduce our non-revenue water and tap our groundwater resource.”
Water and Energy Consumer Association of Malaysia secretary-general Foon Weng Lian noted that cost was another major factor that hindered the adoption of membrane technology.
“We need more details and clarification from all the stakeholders involved in the water sector. Feasibility studies need to be done to determine the reliability of such technology.”
Foon said it was viable to channel water from other states. However, underground tunnels had to be constructed for it to be realised, as the existing piping system could not support interstate transfer.
About three million consumers from more than 700,000 households in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur are experiencing unscheduled water cuts because of insufficient supply of treated water.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Meteorological Department atmospheric science and cloud-seeding division director Saw Bun Liong said the department was prepared to carry out cloud seeding exercises, provided there was suitable cloud formation.