LETTER: The Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (IEM) noted with great concern on the issue of the frequent water disruption in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, and the State of Selangor.
There has been increasing incidences of water disruptions since October 2020, and it is still continuing with the latest incident reported on December 7, 2020, causing inconvenience to general public and businesses in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling, Klang, Shah Alam, Kuala Selangor, Gombak and Kuala Langat.
Water pollution has been cited as the main reason for the frequent water disruptions, as the water treatment plants (in this case Sungai Selangor Phase 1, 2 and 3 Water Treatment Plants and the Rantau Panjang Water Treatment Plant) were unable to cope with the high level of pollution in the raw water.
Having industrial activities along the rivers have always posed high risks of polluting our water resources. As such, adequate safety measures and strict adherence to guidelines are important to prevent the pollution of our rivers, which may endanger our precious water resources as well as jeopardising our water supply systems.
The existing Sungai Selangor Phase 1, 2 and 3 Water Treatment Plants and the Rantau Panjang Water Treatment Plant collectively serve over a million customer accounts, and detection of any sudden water pollution will seriously disrupt the water supply to Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Selangor.
The Authorities who issue the license to those industries along the rivers and tributaries should consider improving the way in which the Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment is conducted, to identify the likelihood of mishap occurrence, as well as to estimate the possible magnitude and extent of harmful effects if such mishaps occur. With improved assessment, appropriate control measures (such as engineering controls, substitution or elimination) could be implemented to prevent pollution from taking place.
Another area that needs to be improved is the enforcement and early action in the event of water pollution by all the relevant Authorities. Based on the incidences reported previously, the pollutant had reached the treatment plant intake by the time the pollution was detected. This deprives the treatment plants of any early warning or time buffer to react timely, much less providing enough notice to customers.
General public must also play a role by reporting any suspicious discharge activities nearby our drains and rivers. It will be better if the Authorities could launch an awareness campaign among the general populace to instil consciousness about the need to deter pollution and to use our water supply sparingly.
If we want the members of the public to come forward and report any illegal activities nearby drain or rivers, including pollutions by municipal activities such as wet markets, restaurants, vehicle maintenance workshops and laundry, channels to do so easily must be provided. Non-structural measures such as public outreach programmes are crucial in achieving such goals too.
IEM also views with great concern that after each disruption of the water supply, it takes up to 4 days for the service recovery to reach the last household. Such a level of service recovery would not be acceptable in the major cities of the world. Given that there are many engineering measures and solutions available to shorten the service recovery period, IEM is prepared to work with the water authorities to improve the water supply system.
IEM would like to support the initiatives by all parties including the Department of Environment (DOE), Selangor Water Management Authority (LUAS), Air Selangor and others to immediately manage the ongoing battle in combatting water pollution, and to safeguard our precious water resources towards achieving a sustainable water management system.
IEM would like to propose that a comprehensive study be carried out on the pollutant loads produced in the whole river basin, that are fed to the water intake points in any given day. The Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) concept should be adopted, where the maximum pollutant loads that each polluter could discharge should be allocated, rather than a generalised Standard A or B currently being enforced without considering the TMDL at the intake points.
IEM also proposes the development of an I-RISK assessment that allows the Authorities to predict the level of water pollution over time, and such a system should be integrated with geographical information system (GIS). With this assessment system, the Authorities will be able to give early warning to consumers before water disruption actually occurs.
As the largest professional organisation for engineers in the country, IEM is willing to provide continuous technical support to work hand-in-hand with the Authorities to ensure a sustainable water supply system.
Ir. ONG CHING LOON
President, The Institution of Engineers, Malaysia
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times