Sungai Gombak dicemari diesel
oleh Tuan Nazuri Tuan Ismail (Berita Harian 2-11-2007)
posted by Neo SEP060157
SHAH ALAM: Seramai 17,630 pengguna air di daerah Gombak terjejas apabila operasi Loji Pembersihan Air Sungai Gombak dihentikan berikutan air Sungai Gombak dicemari tumpahan minyak diesel, petang kelmarin.
Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Tetap Infrastruktur dan Kemudahan Awam negeri, Datuk Fatah Iskandar, berkata sebuah lori tangki yang membawa 10,000 liter diesel terbalik di Kilometer (KM) 36.5 Lebuh Raya Karak dan mencemari Sungai Gombak, kira-kira jam 1.30 tengah hari kelmarin.
Beliau berkata, susulan kejadian itu, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) menghentikan operasi loji berkenaan jam 6.45 petang kelmarin berikutan tumpahan diesel itu memasuki muka sauk loji itu yang dikendalikan Puncak Niaga (M) Sdn Bhd.
"Tindakan segera dilakukan Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR), MTD, Lembaga Urus Air Selangor (Luas) dan Puncak Niaga tetapi hujan lebat mempercepatkan tumpahan diesel mengalir ke Sungai Gombak," katanya di sini, semalam.
Abdul Fatah berkata, Puncak Niaga melantik kontraktor untuk menjalankan kerja pembersihan, termasuk memasang perangkap minyak dan membersihkan loji bagi memastikan loji itu dapat beroperasi semula.
Katanya, lapan kawasan membabitkan 17,630 pengguna terjejas sepanjang operasi pembersihan itu, iaitu Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA), Kampung Sungai Pusu, Sekolah Menengah Al Amin, British Malaysian Institute (BMI), Tol Lebuh Raya Karak, Sekolah Menengah Teknik Gombak, Sekolah Integrasi dan Stesen Minyak BP Jalan Bentong Lama.
Beliau berkata, Syabas juga mengaktifkan Pelan Tindakan Kecemasan (ERP) Kod Hijau di daerah itu serta-merta dan menghantar 14 lori tangki bagi membekalkan air ke kawasan terjejas.
"Syabas juga bertindak mengalihkan aliran bekalan air daripada Loji Sungai Gombak kepada Loji Air Sungai Selangor Fasa Dua dan Loji Air Sungai Rumput untuk mengelak kawasan lain turut terjejas," katanya. Abdul Fatah berkata, tindakan pantas Syabas dan Puncak Niaga membolehkan loji itu dibuka semula jam 10.45 pagi semalam dan pengguna yang terjejas mendapat bekalan air bersih secara berperingkat.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Worrying developments in water and health sectors
post by hasri hamzah
Concern is growing that private sector interests will soon dominate the country’s water and health care sectors and burden the public — despite official assurances that these sectors will not be privatised.
Concern is growing that private sector interests will soon dominate the country’s water and health care sectors and burden the public — despite official assurances that these sectors will not be privatised.
The government is revamping the way these two sectors are managed and financed. And the coming months will be crucial as blueprints and enabling laws are formulated.
Last June, the minister for water, Lim Keng Yaik, said the government had made a U-turn and decided that total privatisation was not suitable for Malaysia, “so we have cut out the word ‘privatisation’ ”.
Likewise, top Health Ministry officials repeatedly assured the public that there would be no privatisation of the proposed national health care financing mechanism, which would allow the government to collect health insurance premiums from the public.
The government may be avoiding the term ‘privatisation’, but concerned Malaysians are worried that the end results of its convoluted plans may be similar.
Two draft bills — the Water Services Industry Act (WSIA) bill and the National Water Services Commission (SPAN in Malay) bill — are expected to come into force later this year.
Water will be brought under federal control (away from state control) and most likely privatised after that. Tariffs are likely to rise significantly. Private water supply operators will no longer be supervised by the respective state authorities. Instead, SPAN will monitor the operators after renegotiating their existing concession agreements.
A new national water assets holding company (WAHCO) will be set up to buy up all existing water infrastructure. WAHCO, to be owned by the Finance Ministry, will raise low-interest funds to finance the acquisition and building of new infrastructure, which will then be leased to state-owned or private operators.
Already, Johor, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur have privatised their water supply management. Another four states — Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Pahang and Perak — have indicated they are going ahead with water privatisation. The remaining states will be required to “corporatise” their respective water authorities.
In the case of health, several moves since December 2004 to get patients to pay more for services clearly reveal the government’s ‘neo-liberal’ mindset. These include plans to privatise government hospital dispensaries and to make foreigners, including migrant workers, pay much higher ‘first-class’ rates at government hospitals. The government also announced a federal budget strategy to put greater focus on ‘health tourism’.
More recently, the authorities have given the green light for specialists to provide ‘private treatment’ at government hospitals to supplement their relatively low incomes — instead of increasing health budget allocations so that government doctors can be paid more.
There is certainly a lack of transparency. In health care, the authorities are believed to have short-listed consultants who will come up with a detailed blueprint for the national health care financing mechanism. Unfortunately, the Economic Planning Unit says it cannot release the terms of reference for the consultants because it is “confidential”.
This lack of transparency has done little to allay the fears of the Coalition Against Health Care Privatisation (CAHP). If the authorities can be so lacking in transparency over the terms of reference, what more when it comes to how the money in the health fund is eventually spent.
As for water, the public remains in the dark over the concession agreements with private water operators. The Coalition Against Water Privatisation (CAWP) is also concerned about the private operators' requests for water tariff hikes based on their claims of successful reductions of leakages (non-revenue water or NRW) — achieved by replacing old pipes. These requests could end up being approved without thorough independent verification of the claimed NRW reduction.
In both water and health care, civil society groups are concerned about how the huge amounts of funds to be raised will be spent. The health fund is expected to handle RM 13 billion annually while WAHCO will handle billions more - and both could turn out to be potential goldmines for corporate players.
Which of the so-called “stakeholders” — corporate players or the public — will benefit the most? At a meeting with senior Health Ministry officials, CAHP representatives argued that the term ‘stakeholders’ itself misrepresents the situation as not all stakeholders are equal. “The needs of the one stakeholder — the people - should be the main determinant of any future health scheme,” they said.
Adequate civil society oversight of SPAN and the national health fund will therefore be vital.
The Health Ministry said that it will closely monitor the proposed National Health Financing Authority, which will manage the national health fund. This authority “will function as a non-profit organisation and will not be privatised,” Health Ministry director-general Ismail Merican told CAHP in a letter.
But this authority may outsource a range of services and become just a paymaster for the national health fund — collecting premiums from the public and making payments out of the fund to the various service providers, including private hospitals. The question is: will there be open tenders for contracts of services and other payments out of the fund? Who will benefit most?
As for water, some have observed that it is ironic that private water operators would benefit from the low-interest funds raised by state-owned WAHCO. Why couldn't the government have raised such low-cost funds for the state water authorities in the first place, asks CAWP. The terms of the lease between WAHCO and the private operators will now be crucial in determining whether the interests of the public are protected.
We need to be vigilant because the track record of privatisation in Malaysia has been dismal. What has happened in the past is that profits are often privatised while losses are socialised (borne by the public).
Religious Groups, NGOs Hold Gathering On Water Conservation
post by Susanne Chi
KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 (Bernama) -- Religious groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in their efforts to instill greater awareness among the public on the importance of conserving water, will be holding a discussion on the subject at Masjid Negara here on Aug 4.
The gathering will deliberate the different religious views on human rights to water and is themed "United for Water: Religions Speak on the Rights to Water" and will specifically refer to the United Nations's General Comment No 15.Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud at a press conference on it here Wednesday, said: "The event hopes to raise awareness among Malaysians to conserve water and to respect and protect human rights to the precious resource."
The event is jointly organised by various organisations including Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM), Buddhist Missionary Society of Malaysia (BMSM), Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS), Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) and MTUC.
International Movement for a Just World (Just) president Dr Chandra Muzaffar will deliver the keynote address while papers will be presented by other speakers including the general-secretary of CCM, Rev Dr. Hermen Shastri and the president of Buddhist Maha Vihara, Sarath W. Surendre.
Those interested in participating in it can e-mail their details to monitoring.globalisation@gmail.com or call Simon Lee at 012-6332349.
Friday, October 5, 2007
NEWS FROM UEM...
from Wee Beng Wah
An impromptu media conference at the site.
Some of the drum waste recovered from the illegal dump
Kampung Tiroi, Labu, Negeri Sembilan - 4 Oct, 2007
Kualiti Alam today completed its task of removing 174 drums of illegal dumped waste at Kampung Tiroi, about 6km from Seremban to the Integrated Scheduled Waste Management Centre in Bukit Nanas for storage. The drums packed into 58 jumbo bags were kept in a warehouse at WMC as court evidence for the Department of Environment.
Earlier the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Dato S. Sothinathan visited the site located near the Tiroi Komuter Train Station with Dato Hajjah Rosnani Ibrahim, the Director of Department of Environment, and Negeri Sembilan State Exco for Environment, Dato Peter Lai.
Kualiti Alam today completed its task of removing 174 drums of illegal dumped waste at Kampung Tiroi, about 6km from Seremban to the Integrated Scheduled Waste Management Centre in Bukit Nanas for storage. The drums packed into 58 jumbo bags were kept in a warehouse at WMC as court evidence for the Department of Environment.
Earlier the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Dato S. Sothinathan visited the site located near the Tiroi Komuter Train Station with Dato Hajjah Rosnani Ibrahim, the Director of Department of Environment, and Negeri Sembilan State Exco for Environment, Dato Peter Lai.
From the right: Dato S. Sothinathan, Dato Peter Lai, Dato Hajjah Rosnani Ibrahim, Puan Rahani Hussin, Negeri Sembilan State DOE Director and DOE Officer inspecting the site.
An impromptu media conference at the site. Some of the drum waste recovered from the illegal dump Thursday, October 4, 2007
Eutrophication
Post By Voon Chen Li
Eutrophication is a condition in an aquatic ecosystem where high nutrient concentrations stimulate blooms of algae (e.g., phytoplankton). The main cause of eutrophication is excess nitrogen run-off from farm fertilizers, sewage and industrial pollutants. Eutrophication reduces water clarity and depletes oxygen. Reduced water clarity can starve sea grasses and algae that live in corals from light, reducing their growth or killing them. While wind and waves aerate surface waters, the pycnocline—a layer of rapid change in water temperature and density—acts as a barrier to oxygen exchange in bottom waters.
Excess phytoplankton reduces water clarity and consumes oxygen. Phytoplankton need nutrients as well as the energy from the sun to survive but too many nutrients can cause algae blooms and, in turn, red tides (dying phytoplankton). In some regions (particularly near major rivers), excess nutrients can be added to the coastal zone as a result of fertilizer runoff, sewage, animal feedlot runoff, or air pollution. During the bloom, the phytoplankton consume nutrients and oxygen which, in turn, causes a decrease in the amount of dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus in the water body. As the nutrients become depleted, the algae can no longer survive. The dead phytoplankton sink to the bottom of the water column where they are consumed by decomposers. Since these decomposers require oxygen to break down the algae, dissolved oxygen levels will decrease during this time period. Resulting low oxygen levels can be detrimental to fish health; if dissolved oxygen drops to below 2 mg/l, mass fish kills can result. This is known as hypoxia. The areas in which hypoxia has occurred are known as 'Dead Zones.' Dead zones have been a factor in the Gulf of Mexico and Chesapeake Bay on the U.S. east coast, and are now spreading to other bodies of water, including the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Adriatic Sea, Gulf of Thailand and Yellow Sea. There are now nearly 150 dead zones around the globe-- double the number in 1990, with some extending 27,000 square miles (United Nations Environment Programme, 2003). The article states that "Unless urgent action is taken to tackle the sources of the problem, it is likely to escalate rapidly."
Arsenic in Drinking Water Said to Be Rising Risk
Post By Voon Chen Li
Hundreds of thousands of people are likely to die from arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh, according to research presented at the annual Royal Geographical Society.
By REUTERS
Published: August 30, 2007
Published: August 30, 2007
LONDON, Aug. 29 (Reuters) — Naturally occurring arsenic in drinking water poses a growing global health risk as large numbers of people unknowingly consume unsafe levels, researchers said on Wednesday.
The problem is bigger than scientists had thought, and it affects nearly 140 million people in more than 70 countries, according to new research presented at the annual Royal Geographical Society meeting in London.
Arsenic can cause lung disease and cancers, even long after people stop drinking contaminated water, said Peter Ravenscroft, a researcher at the University of Cambridge.
“What is new is, the extent of arsenic pollution is much bigger than people realized,” Mr. Ravenscroft said in a telephone interview.
“There is a very important connection between arsenic in water and arsenic in food, especially where people grow irrigated crops.”
World Health Organization guidelines set a safe limit of 10 parts per billion of arsenic in water supplies, but tens of millions of people in the world drink unsafe water above that level, researchers said.
At present, Bangladesh has been affected the most. There, hundreds of thousands of people are likely to die from arsenic poisoning, the researchers said.
Arsenic has also been found in the water in developed countries, and industrial activities like mining can also lead to contamination.
Rising awareness has led to increased testing, which has revealed more widespread arsenic in drinking water, but other researchers said that even more must be done to address the problem.
“Most countries have some water sources with dangerous levels of arsenic, but only now are we beginning to recognize the magnitude of the problem,” Allan Smith, a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and an adviser to the World Health Organization on arsenic, said in a statement.
The problem is bigger than scientists had thought, and it affects nearly 140 million people in more than 70 countries, according to new research presented at the annual Royal Geographical Society meeting in London.
Arsenic can cause lung disease and cancers, even long after people stop drinking contaminated water, said Peter Ravenscroft, a researcher at the University of Cambridge.
“What is new is, the extent of arsenic pollution is much bigger than people realized,” Mr. Ravenscroft said in a telephone interview.
“There is a very important connection between arsenic in water and arsenic in food, especially where people grow irrigated crops.”
World Health Organization guidelines set a safe limit of 10 parts per billion of arsenic in water supplies, but tens of millions of people in the world drink unsafe water above that level, researchers said.
At present, Bangladesh has been affected the most. There, hundreds of thousands of people are likely to die from arsenic poisoning, the researchers said.
Arsenic has also been found in the water in developed countries, and industrial activities like mining can also lead to contamination.
Rising awareness has led to increased testing, which has revealed more widespread arsenic in drinking water, but other researchers said that even more must be done to address the problem.
“Most countries have some water sources with dangerous levels of arsenic, but only now are we beginning to recognize the magnitude of the problem,” Allan Smith, a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and an adviser to the World Health Organization on arsenic, said in a statement.
The City- The Big Spill
Post By Voon Chen Li
Published: September 30, 2007
The Exxon Valdez disaster is certainly the most notorious oil spill in the United States — a single, terrible accident that poured 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound 1989, causing grievous damage to Alaska’s waters and beyond. But it is not the largest. In terms of volume it cannot match the steady seepage of oil into Newtown Creek, the polluted waterway that separates Brooklyn from Queens.
The Newtown Creek spill has not received anywhere near the response that followed the Valdez incident. The cleanup has been haphazard and ineffective, hampered by weak enforcement, and residents have been left in the dark about potential health effects.
A report this month from the Environmental Protection Agency suggested that the Newtown spill may be twice as large as first believed — some 30 million gallons, nearly three times the size of the Alaska spill. It has polluted the 4-mile strip of waterway and some 55 residential and commercial acres around it, gathering in subsurface reservoirs, mixing with groundwater, creating toxic vapors and and seeping, slowly but inexorably, into the creek. One major concern is the reported leakage of chemical vapor into homes.
The report was welcome, but far too long in coming. And it did not go far enough. Representatives Nydia Velazquez and Anthony Weiner, two members of Congress whose districts are affected, and who fought for the study, were understandably disappointed with the results. Both lawmakers are studying ways to speed the cleanup and assess health risks.
The spill is believed to have originated 57 years ago, when oil leaked from refinery tanks owned by Standard Oil, a corporate predecessor to Exxon Mobil. It went unnoticed until a Coast Guard helicopter noticed a plume, which led to the discovery of an huge pool of oil at the creek’s bottom.
Last month, the state attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, filed a lawsuit against Exxon Mobil, and warned several other companies they are also under scrutiny. Riverkeeper, an environmental group, filed its own lawsuit in 2004. Although ExxonMobil entered into a cleanup agreement with the State Department of Enviromental Conservation in 1990, the department has not been aggressive in enforcing its e terms. .
Given the new evidence, the D.E.C. should acknowledge that the deal has been a bad one for the state and for the more than 500 residents and businesses near the creek and really start pushing the companies. Having acknowledged the severity of the problem, the the federal government must also take a more active role. At Newtown Creek, there’s plenty of work for everyone — beginning with the polluters.
Published: September 30, 2007
The Exxon Valdez disaster is certainly the most notorious oil spill in the United States — a single, terrible accident that poured 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound 1989, causing grievous damage to Alaska’s waters and beyond. But it is not the largest. In terms of volume it cannot match the steady seepage of oil into Newtown Creek, the polluted waterway that separates Brooklyn from Queens.
The Newtown Creek spill has not received anywhere near the response that followed the Valdez incident. The cleanup has been haphazard and ineffective, hampered by weak enforcement, and residents have been left in the dark about potential health effects.
A report this month from the Environmental Protection Agency suggested that the Newtown spill may be twice as large as first believed — some 30 million gallons, nearly three times the size of the Alaska spill. It has polluted the 4-mile strip of waterway and some 55 residential and commercial acres around it, gathering in subsurface reservoirs, mixing with groundwater, creating toxic vapors and and seeping, slowly but inexorably, into the creek. One major concern is the reported leakage of chemical vapor into homes.
The report was welcome, but far too long in coming. And it did not go far enough. Representatives Nydia Velazquez and Anthony Weiner, two members of Congress whose districts are affected, and who fought for the study, were understandably disappointed with the results. Both lawmakers are studying ways to speed the cleanup and assess health risks.
The spill is believed to have originated 57 years ago, when oil leaked from refinery tanks owned by Standard Oil, a corporate predecessor to Exxon Mobil. It went unnoticed until a Coast Guard helicopter noticed a plume, which led to the discovery of an huge pool of oil at the creek’s bottom.
Last month, the state attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, filed a lawsuit against Exxon Mobil, and warned several other companies they are also under scrutiny. Riverkeeper, an environmental group, filed its own lawsuit in 2004. Although ExxonMobil entered into a cleanup agreement with the State Department of Enviromental Conservation in 1990, the department has not been aggressive in enforcing its e terms. .
Given the new evidence, the D.E.C. should acknowledge that the deal has been a bad one for the state and for the more than 500 residents and businesses near the creek and really start pushing the companies. Having acknowledged the severity of the problem, the the federal government must also take a more active role. At Newtown Creek, there’s plenty of work for everyone — beginning with the polluters.
Water
Post by Voon Chen LiWater Pollution is the contamination of any body of water or water supply, such as rivers and streams, lakes, underground water, or oceans by substances harmful to plants and animals. Water is necessary to life on earth. All organisms contain water and require that water to be relatively pure. Plants and animals cannot survive if their water contains toxic chemicals or harmful microorganisms. Water pollution can kill large numbers of fish, birds, and other animals, in some cases killing all members of a species in an affected area.
Major Types of Pollutants include but are not limited to chemical, biological, or physical materials that degrade water quality.
Hazardous wastes are chemical wastes that are either poisonous, capable of producing explosive or toxic gases, highly corrosive, or flammable. When improperly treated or stored, hazardous wastes can pollute water supplies. In 1969, in Cleveland, Ohio, the Cuyahoga River was so polluted with hazardous wastes that it actually caught fire. Hazardous wastes not properly disposed of or treated can get into the environment and reach toxic levels as organisms eat one another.
Oil and chemicals derived from oil are used for fuel, lubrication, plastics manufacturing, and many commercial and residential use. Petroleum products usually find their way into the water by means of accidental spills from ships, tanker trucks, leaking pipelines or leaking underground storage tanks. Most petroleum products are toxic to people, plants and animals, feathers and fur can be damaged by oil often causing death. Spilled oil may also contain other harmful substances, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
Herbicides and Pesticides are chemicals used to kill unwanted plants and animals. While these chemicals are typically used in agriculture or in the suburban back yard, they can end up in lakes, streams and ground water sources because of misuse or overuse. Carried by rainwater runoff, these chemicals can quickly cause eradication of aquatic plants and animals as well as illness in people.
Animals at the top of the food chain may be the first indicator that the water is polluted. Take for example a study done on DDT levels in Ospreys (a family of fish-eating birds). DDT levels were found to be 10 to 50 times higher than in the fish that they ate, 600 times the level in the plankton that the fish ate, and 10 million times higher than in the water.
Over 14 million Americans drink water contaminated with various pesticides, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 10% of wells contain pesticides in varying levels. Nitrates, a pollutant
LEARN MOREoften derived from fertilizer runoff, can cause methemoglobinemia in infants, a potentially lethal form of anemia that is also called blue baby syndrome.
Sediment or soil particles carried to a stream bed, lake, or ocean, can also be a pollutant when present in large enough amounts. Soil erosion is the typical reason for this and can be produced by many things. The removal of trees near waterways is a major contributor to erosion.
The Earth's topsoils can also find their way into streams by means of heavy rain runoff and floods in or near croplands, strip mines and roads. This high level of sediment and organic matter can damage a stream or lake by introducing too much nutrient matter which can lead to eutrophication (nutrient rich and oxygen poor).
Infectious Organisms The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have estimated that about 900,000 people get sick annually in the United States because of organisms in their drinking water, since about 900 of those people may die, the problem is serious. Some organisms occur in nature and are only considered pollutants when found in drinking water. One such parasite is Cryptosporidium parvum, which caused more than 400,000 illnesses and 100 deaths in Milwaukee in 1993 when it contaminated the drinking water supply.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Cameron Highlands drinking water contaminated - Water pollution
Post by : Chui Chui Goh
Water Pollution - Of all natural resources, water is the most severely threatened by pollution. The Department of Environment (DOE), Malaysia reports the most serious water polluting industry in terms of the number of point sources. In this context, food processing is the most polluting industry for water. The deterioration of water quality follows a five-year trend (1986-1991). The trend indicates that the number of rivers in the slightly polluted and very polluted categories is tending to increase while the number of rivers in the clean category is tending to decrease. Water pollution in Malaysia is measured in terms of BOD caused by organic pollution, ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N) emitted in the form of sewage and animal waste or fecal coliforms), suspended solids for soil erosion and sedimentation. Heavy metals and nutrients are also measured. The DOE no longer gives information on the most important polluters of water by pollution load. Instead, information is presented according to the number of polluters. Malaysian rivers are heavily polluted with mean BOD levels nearly six times the international standard. Residential sewage accounts for nearly 80 percent of BOD-related water pollution, followed by agriculture and industry. Inadequate sewerage system is the main cause of water pollution.
The principal source of fecal coliforms is human waste, while concentrated industrial wastewater and agricultural run-off of fertilizer and chemicals into surface water affect levels of dissolved oxygen in water. The reduction of dissolved oxygen effects mainly plant life and fish resulting in destruction of aquatic life and the natural ecology of the rivers. Forest harvesting and agricultural and urban development have resulted in the pollution of most river systems, affected ecological dynamics and disrupted natural food chains. In 1991, 40.5% of the 2,292 industries in Malaysia, identified as major sources of water pollutants, were food and beverage industries. 14.1% were rubber producing and 11.8% were chemical producing industries. In terms of organic water pollution, human and animal wastes largely from piggeries and agro-based industries are the primary sources. The heavily industrialized Peninsular states that are most affected by these pollution sources are Selangor, Johor, Penang and Perak. Although the supply of clean water is high, inadequate sewerage and drainage systems now threaten water quality.
Further clearing of forested land, tin mining and effluent discharges from industries, tin mining, logging, use of weedicides, insecticides, latex processing plants and manufacturing industries are polluting surface water sources. Treatment of raw water from surface water sources for human consumption and for industrial use has become more complex because of water pollution.
Monday, October 1, 2007
M'sians Use Four Times More Water Than Necessary, Says Expert
post by Susanne Chi
Dr K. Kalithasan of the Global Environment Centre (GEC) said Malaysians were using between 184 and 500 litres daily.
Much of the water is wasted for "businesses" in the toilet and bathroom, he told reporters after presenting a talk at a workshop on water conservation for 70 students, here.
Kalithasan said the daily water usage per Malaysian was about 184 litres but in bigger towns and cities the usage could reach as high as 300 to 500 litres.
He said Malaysians were generally living in a comfort zone where water scarcity was still not a huge issue.
"We only appreciate it (water) when crises arise," he said.
The two-year national water conservation campaign, which started in July last year, is jointly organised by the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry, the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) and GEC.
On the role of the public in river conservation efforts, Kalithasan said the government should transfer the responsiblity and let the general public hold ownership of such projects if it is serious about the efforts yielding positive results in the long run.
He said the government was now holding the responsibility of river conservation and the participation from the grassroots in the effort was too scarce and not consistent.
He said many of such projects failed because the allocated money was largely spent on advertisements rather than proactive action that involved people at the grassroots level.
"When the community doesn't hold the ownership, it doesn't feel the need to be responsible for the rivers. Ideally, such projects should be focused on the grassroots level where the community is provided with some resources to launch their campaigns," he said.
Dr K. Kalithasan of the Global Environment Centre (GEC) said Malaysians were using between 184 and 500 litres daily.
Much of the water is wasted for "businesses" in the toilet and bathroom, he told reporters after presenting a talk at a workshop on water conservation for 70 students, here.
Kalithasan said the daily water usage per Malaysian was about 184 litres but in bigger towns and cities the usage could reach as high as 300 to 500 litres.
He said Malaysians were generally living in a comfort zone where water scarcity was still not a huge issue.
"We only appreciate it (water) when crises arise," he said.
The two-year national water conservation campaign, which started in July last year, is jointly organised by the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry, the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) and GEC.
On the role of the public in river conservation efforts, Kalithasan said the government should transfer the responsiblity and let the general public hold ownership of such projects if it is serious about the efforts yielding positive results in the long run.
He said the government was now holding the responsibility of river conservation and the participation from the grassroots in the effort was too scarce and not consistent.
He said many of such projects failed because the allocated money was largely spent on advertisements rather than proactive action that involved people at the grassroots level.
"When the community doesn't hold the ownership, it doesn't feel the need to be responsible for the rivers. Ideally, such projects should be focused on the grassroots level where the community is provided with some resources to launch their campaigns," he said.
RM7m to put love back into rivers
post by Susanne Chi
RM7m to put love back into rivers
JOHOR BARU: The failed Love Our Rivers campaign has been re-branded as a programme to preserve the riverine environment.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid said the ministry would spend RM7 million on the campaign to be launched in June by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
"The cabinet has agreed to give state assemblymen and MPs from ‘black areas’ a RM10,000 allocation under the campaign.
"They will use the money to run environmental awareness programmes to change the mindset of people living around polluted rivers."
Azmi was speaking after receiving RM100,000 for Johor flood victims from the Surveyors’ Board of Peninsular Malaysia.
"The Love Our Rivers campaign has been misconstrued by people as just landscaping river banks.
"They didn’t realise that the campaign was also aimed at keeping rivers free from pollution and rubbish."
Asked if the new campaign would suffer the same fate as the earlier campaign, he said: "I don’t think so. I think the people are now ready to accept their responsibility."
The Love Our Rivers campaign was launched in 1993.
Azmi said the failure of the campaign was evident in the increase in river pollution with 17 rivers having water that was unsafe for humans to even touch.
"It will take RM2 billion to rehabilitate each of these polluted rivers."
Asked if the ministry had identified the major polluter of rivers, Azmi said improperly treated sewage effluent was to blame for the pollution.
"Studies have shown that 91 per cent of sewage treatment plants in the country are run inefficiently."
RM7m to put love back into rivers
JOHOR BARU: The failed Love Our Rivers campaign has been re-branded as a programme to preserve the riverine environment.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid said the ministry would spend RM7 million on the campaign to be launched in June by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
"The cabinet has agreed to give state assemblymen and MPs from ‘black areas’ a RM10,000 allocation under the campaign.
"They will use the money to run environmental awareness programmes to change the mindset of people living around polluted rivers."
Azmi was speaking after receiving RM100,000 for Johor flood victims from the Surveyors’ Board of Peninsular Malaysia.
"The Love Our Rivers campaign has been misconstrued by people as just landscaping river banks.
"They didn’t realise that the campaign was also aimed at keeping rivers free from pollution and rubbish."
Asked if the new campaign would suffer the same fate as the earlier campaign, he said: "I don’t think so. I think the people are now ready to accept their responsibility."
The Love Our Rivers campaign was launched in 1993.
Azmi said the failure of the campaign was evident in the increase in river pollution with 17 rivers having water that was unsafe for humans to even touch.
"It will take RM2 billion to rehabilitate each of these polluted rivers."
Asked if the ministry had identified the major polluter of rivers, Azmi said improperly treated sewage effluent was to blame for the pollution.
"Studies have shown that 91 per cent of sewage treatment plants in the country are run inefficiently."
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Arsenic in Asian Drinking Water Linked to Microbes
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Search by Wee Beng Wah 30/09/2007
John Roachfor National Geographic News
June 30, 2004
Microscopic organisms that get their energy by inhaling metals in the ground play a key role in the arsenic poisoning of drinking water for millions of people in Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, according to a new study.
Researchers hope that the finding will shed light on how the drinking water came to be so heavily laced with arsenic—and that, in turn, it is hoped, could yield a way to reduce the level of the toxin.
More information:
Arsenic-Laced Well Water Poisoning Bangladeshis
Microorganism Cleans Up Toxic Groundwater
Rust Breathing Microbes: Miracle Microbes?
Cited by the World Health Organization as the "worst mass poisoning in human history," as many as several million wells in India and Bangladesh became contaminated with the poison in the early 1990s. The poisoning remains a grave threat to those who continue to drink and irrigate with the water today.
Exposure to high levels of arsenic can cause cancers of the skin, bladder, kidney, and lung, and diseases of blood vessels of the legs and feet. It may also contribute to diabetes, high blood pressure, and reproductive disorders.
"Some researchers have estimated that two-thirds of the population in Bangladesh are at risk for chronic arsenic poisoning," said Willard Chappell, an emeritus professor of environmental sciences at the University of Colorado at Denver and expert on arsenic.
For the past decade, research teams from around the world have tried to determine why arsenic is present in such high concentrations in the Bangladesh and West Bengal aquifers. That knowledge would help them identify areas of high risk and develop appropriate remediation strategies.
Reporting in the July 1 issue of the science journal Nature, an international team of researchers indicts bacteria for the rising arsenic levels.
"When we found maximum rates of arsenic mobilization, we found signatures for known metal-reducing bacteria including a commonly found iron-reducing bacteria," said John Lloyd, a microbiologist at U.K.'s University of Manchester. Lloyd led the research team.
Metal-reducing bacteria "breathe" metals such as iron to get energy from their food, in the same way that we humans breathe oxygen to break down our food.
The bacteria breathe by passing electrons onto metals, which changes the characteristics of the metals. Scientists refer to this as metal reduction.
Derek Lovley, a microbiologist at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, said the University of Manchester-led study definitively shows what many scientists had suspected.
"The paper puts together components that were known individually, but nobody had done that experiment with material from the [Bengal] aquifer before," he said. "It's important in that way.
To speculate is one thing, it's another to definitively show it."
Decoupling
In the University of Manchester-led study, the researchers found that arsenic reduction and release took place after the microbes had reduced and released iron, not simultaneously. This is an indication the processes are decoupled.
Lloyd said that while the reasons for the decoupling are not fully understood, the decoupling is not totally unexpected.
One explanation for the decoupling could be that the bacteria feed on the substrates that give the most energy first. Since iron is abundant and preferred by several of these microorganisms, they go after it before they move in on arsenic. Another possibility is that iron reduction causes a change in the mineral structure of the sediments, so that the arsenic becomes more readily available to the metal-reducing bacteria, leading to the release of arsenic into the groundwater.
"We're looking at that in detail now," Lloyd said. "We're trying to get to grips with the details to answer those sorts of questions."
Organic Stimulus
Earlier research by Lovley and his colleagues has shown that acetate—essentially vinegar—is a favorite food of metal-reducing microbes and causes populations to explode.
The University of Manchester-led team added acetate to its sample to simulate an influx of organic carbon to the sediments where the microbes live. This resulted in marked stimulation of iron reduction followed by arsenic release.
The researchers said the stimulation of iron reduction and arsenic release and reduction by acetate demonstrates that the availability of organic carbon controls the mobilization of arsenic by metal-reducing bacteria.
"These sediments are starved of organic matter and electron donors," Lloyd said. "If organic matter does get into the subsurface it will stimulate the activity of these organisms."
Influxes of organic carbon are known to occur when irrigation wells are drawn down, leading several researchers to propose that the introduction of organic carbon by irrigation pumping can be a factor in increasing arsenic mobility in shallow groundwaters in Bangladesh and West Bengal. This theory is supported by the Manchester-led study.
Now that the researchers have a better understanding of the processes that control the release of arsenic into the region's groundwater, they are looking for a way to reverse the processes so that the drinking water can be made safe to drink.
According to Chappell, the arsenic-research community has yet to reach consensus on the mechanisms that cause the arsenic poisoning. He cautions against accepting the University of Manchester-led study as the final word. "The problem itself, however, is very real and very bad," he said.
"Also, while it is much worse in Bangladesh and West Bengal than elsewhere, more and more countries are identifying the problem—these include Nepal, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, China, and others where tube wells were installed to prevent diarrhea-related problems associated with surface-water use."
Search by Wee Beng Wah 30/09/2007
John Roachfor National Geographic News
June 30, 2004
Microscopic organisms that get their energy by inhaling metals in the ground play a key role in the arsenic poisoning of drinking water for millions of people in Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, according to a new study.
Researchers hope that the finding will shed light on how the drinking water came to be so heavily laced with arsenic—and that, in turn, it is hoped, could yield a way to reduce the level of the toxin.
More information:
Arsenic-Laced Well Water Poisoning Bangladeshis
Microorganism Cleans Up Toxic Groundwater
Rust Breathing Microbes: Miracle Microbes?
Cited by the World Health Organization as the "worst mass poisoning in human history," as many as several million wells in India and Bangladesh became contaminated with the poison in the early 1990s. The poisoning remains a grave threat to those who continue to drink and irrigate with the water today.
Exposure to high levels of arsenic can cause cancers of the skin, bladder, kidney, and lung, and diseases of blood vessels of the legs and feet. It may also contribute to diabetes, high blood pressure, and reproductive disorders.
"Some researchers have estimated that two-thirds of the population in Bangladesh are at risk for chronic arsenic poisoning," said Willard Chappell, an emeritus professor of environmental sciences at the University of Colorado at Denver and expert on arsenic.
For the past decade, research teams from around the world have tried to determine why arsenic is present in such high concentrations in the Bangladesh and West Bengal aquifers. That knowledge would help them identify areas of high risk and develop appropriate remediation strategies.
Reporting in the July 1 issue of the science journal Nature, an international team of researchers indicts bacteria for the rising arsenic levels.
"When we found maximum rates of arsenic mobilization, we found signatures for known metal-reducing bacteria including a commonly found iron-reducing bacteria," said John Lloyd, a microbiologist at U.K.'s University of Manchester. Lloyd led the research team.
Metal-reducing bacteria "breathe" metals such as iron to get energy from their food, in the same way that we humans breathe oxygen to break down our food.
The bacteria breathe by passing electrons onto metals, which changes the characteristics of the metals. Scientists refer to this as metal reduction.
Derek Lovley, a microbiologist at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, said the University of Manchester-led study definitively shows what many scientists had suspected.
"The paper puts together components that were known individually, but nobody had done that experiment with material from the [Bengal] aquifer before," he said. "It's important in that way.
To speculate is one thing, it's another to definitively show it."
Decoupling
In the University of Manchester-led study, the researchers found that arsenic reduction and release took place after the microbes had reduced and released iron, not simultaneously. This is an indication the processes are decoupled.
Lloyd said that while the reasons for the decoupling are not fully understood, the decoupling is not totally unexpected.
One explanation for the decoupling could be that the bacteria feed on the substrates that give the most energy first. Since iron is abundant and preferred by several of these microorganisms, they go after it before they move in on arsenic. Another possibility is that iron reduction causes a change in the mineral structure of the sediments, so that the arsenic becomes more readily available to the metal-reducing bacteria, leading to the release of arsenic into the groundwater.
"We're looking at that in detail now," Lloyd said. "We're trying to get to grips with the details to answer those sorts of questions."
Organic Stimulus
Earlier research by Lovley and his colleagues has shown that acetate—essentially vinegar—is a favorite food of metal-reducing microbes and causes populations to explode.
The University of Manchester-led team added acetate to its sample to simulate an influx of organic carbon to the sediments where the microbes live. This resulted in marked stimulation of iron reduction followed by arsenic release.
The researchers said the stimulation of iron reduction and arsenic release and reduction by acetate demonstrates that the availability of organic carbon controls the mobilization of arsenic by metal-reducing bacteria.
"These sediments are starved of organic matter and electron donors," Lloyd said. "If organic matter does get into the subsurface it will stimulate the activity of these organisms."
Influxes of organic carbon are known to occur when irrigation wells are drawn down, leading several researchers to propose that the introduction of organic carbon by irrigation pumping can be a factor in increasing arsenic mobility in shallow groundwaters in Bangladesh and West Bengal. This theory is supported by the Manchester-led study.
Now that the researchers have a better understanding of the processes that control the release of arsenic into the region's groundwater, they are looking for a way to reverse the processes so that the drinking water can be made safe to drink.
According to Chappell, the arsenic-research community has yet to reach consensus on the mechanisms that cause the arsenic poisoning. He cautions against accepting the University of Manchester-led study as the final word. "The problem itself, however, is very real and very bad," he said.
"Also, while it is much worse in Bangladesh and West Bengal than elsewhere, more and more countries are identifying the problem—these include Nepal, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, China, and others where tube wells were installed to prevent diarrhea-related problems associated with surface-water use."
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Most Polar Bears Gone By 2050, Studies Say
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Search by Wee Beng Wah 29/09/2007
John Roach
for National Geographic News
September 10, 2007
Two-thirds of the world's polar bears could disappear by 2050 as global warming continues to melt the Arctic's sea ice, according to a series of U.S. government studies released last Friday.
The new findings paint a sobering picture for polar bears, whose dependence on sea ice makes them particularly vulnerable to warming temperatures.
Polar Bears Suffering As Arctic Summers Come Earlier, Study Finds (September 21, 2006)
Grizzly-Polar Bear Hybrid Found—But What Does It Mean? (May 16, 2006)
"Our results have demonstrated that as the sea ice goes, so goes the polar bear," said Steven Amstrup, a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) wildlife research biologist in Anchorage, Alaska, and leader of the polar bear studies.
USGS conducted the studies to help the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determine whether polar bears warrant protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. That decision is due in January 2008.
(Read: "Polar Bears Proposed for U.S. Endangered Species List" [December 27, 2006].)
Kassie Siegel is a climate change activist with the Center for Biological Diversity in Joshua Tree, California. The new studies, she said, represent a watershed moment in the climate crisis.
"If we don't change the path that we're on now, then it will be too late," she said. "Polar bears will become extinct."
Polar Bears and Sea Ice
Scientists estimate that 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears live throughout the Northern Hemisphere in areas that are covered by sea ice for extensive periods.
Polar bears eat mostly seals and other fatty marine mammals that they hunt from the ice.
In some places—like the southern end of polar bear range in Canada's Hudson Bay—the sea ice melts in the summer. The bears then come onto land, where they have insufficient food until the sea ice refreezes in the fall.
Those bears, USGS's Amstrup said, may be the first to die off. As the sea ice melts sooner each summer, the bears will be forced to come ashore earlier and face food shortages before they have stored enough fat to last through the season.
"There's a limit to how long they can fast," Amstrup said.
In other regions polar bears live on the sea ice year-round.
These bears prefer to hunt from the ice that hangs over shallow continental shelf waters, which contain more prey than deeper waters offshore.
But as the ice retreats farther from the shoreline, the bears may have less success with their hunts (related: "Arctic Ice at All-Time Low" [August 20, 2007]).
In addition, the rapid movement of sea ice in these regions may leave some bears stranded in food-poor areas, or it might require long and exhausting swims from food-rich areas back to ice, Amstrup noted.
By mid-century polar bears will likely be eliminated from the southern end of their range and in the Polar Basin, where sea ice is moving farther from land.
These two areas are currently home to approximately two-thirds of the world's polar bear population, Amstrup said.
Polar bears are only predicted to hang on in the Canadian Arctic islands and some regions along the northern coast of Greenland where sea ice is expected to persist even in summer (see map).
Survival Hopes
The USGS findings are based on the best available models of future climate, Amstrup said.
Warming temperatures, however, are melting the sea ice quicker than even the best climate models projected, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado.
As of September 3, 2007, sea-ice extent had fallen to 1.70 million square miles (4.42 million square kilometers)—beating the previous record low of 2.05 million square miles (5.32 million square kilometers) set on September 21, 2005.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change earlier this year determined that the ice-melting trend is "very likely" being caused by human emissions of greenhouse gases, Amstrup noted.
So hopes of long-term polar bear survival hinges on humans taking action now, he said.
Atmospheric scientists believe that gases already in the climate system will continue to warm the Earth and melt sea ice until about 2050, even if cuts to emissions are made today.
But if polar bears do persist through the end of the century in the Canadian Arctic islands, those bears could seed a rebounding population.
"Emissions reductions now could assure polar bears will still be around to repopulate sea ice when it returns to other areas," Amstrup said in a followup email.
Search by Wee Beng Wah 29/09/2007
John Roach
for National Geographic News
September 10, 2007
Two-thirds of the world's polar bears could disappear by 2050 as global warming continues to melt the Arctic's sea ice, according to a series of U.S. government studies released last Friday.
The new findings paint a sobering picture for polar bears, whose dependence on sea ice makes them particularly vulnerable to warming temperatures.
Polar Bears Suffering As Arctic Summers Come Earlier, Study Finds (September 21, 2006)Grizzly-Polar Bear Hybrid Found—But What Does It Mean? (May 16, 2006)
"Our results have demonstrated that as the sea ice goes, so goes the polar bear," said Steven Amstrup, a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) wildlife research biologist in Anchorage, Alaska, and leader of the polar bear studies.
USGS conducted the studies to help the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determine whether polar bears warrant protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. That decision is due in January 2008.
(Read: "Polar Bears Proposed for U.S. Endangered Species List" [December 27, 2006].)
Kassie Siegel is a climate change activist with the Center for Biological Diversity in Joshua Tree, California. The new studies, she said, represent a watershed moment in the climate crisis.
"If we don't change the path that we're on now, then it will be too late," she said. "Polar bears will become extinct."
Polar Bears and Sea Ice
Scientists estimate that 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears live throughout the Northern Hemisphere in areas that are covered by sea ice for extensive periods.
Polar bears eat mostly seals and other fatty marine mammals that they hunt from the ice.
In some places—like the southern end of polar bear range in Canada's Hudson Bay—the sea ice melts in the summer. The bears then come onto land, where they have insufficient food until the sea ice refreezes in the fall.
Those bears, USGS's Amstrup said, may be the first to die off. As the sea ice melts sooner each summer, the bears will be forced to come ashore earlier and face food shortages before they have stored enough fat to last through the season.
"There's a limit to how long they can fast," Amstrup said.
In other regions polar bears live on the sea ice year-round.
These bears prefer to hunt from the ice that hangs over shallow continental shelf waters, which contain more prey than deeper waters offshore.
But as the ice retreats farther from the shoreline, the bears may have less success with their hunts (related: "Arctic Ice at All-Time Low" [August 20, 2007]).
In addition, the rapid movement of sea ice in these regions may leave some bears stranded in food-poor areas, or it might require long and exhausting swims from food-rich areas back to ice, Amstrup noted.
By mid-century polar bears will likely be eliminated from the southern end of their range and in the Polar Basin, where sea ice is moving farther from land.
These two areas are currently home to approximately two-thirds of the world's polar bear population, Amstrup said.
Polar bears are only predicted to hang on in the Canadian Arctic islands and some regions along the northern coast of Greenland where sea ice is expected to persist even in summer (see map).
Survival Hopes
The USGS findings are based on the best available models of future climate, Amstrup said.
Warming temperatures, however, are melting the sea ice quicker than even the best climate models projected, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado.
As of September 3, 2007, sea-ice extent had fallen to 1.70 million square miles (4.42 million square kilometers)—beating the previous record low of 2.05 million square miles (5.32 million square kilometers) set on September 21, 2005.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change earlier this year determined that the ice-melting trend is "very likely" being caused by human emissions of greenhouse gases, Amstrup noted.
So hopes of long-term polar bear survival hinges on humans taking action now, he said.
Atmospheric scientists believe that gases already in the climate system will continue to warm the Earth and melt sea ice until about 2050, even if cuts to emissions are made today.
But if polar bears do persist through the end of the century in the Canadian Arctic islands, those bears could seed a rebounding population.
"Emissions reductions now could assure polar bears will still be around to repopulate sea ice when it returns to other areas," Amstrup said in a followup email.
MERDEKA WATER RIGHT DECLARATION
post by Susanne Chi
MERDEKA WATER RIGHT DECLARATION
A Malaysian Inter-Faith Collective Statement on Water as a Right
We, religious leaders and groups, NGOs, trade unions, resident’s associations comprising of Buddhists, Catholics, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Taoists, participating at the inter-faith forum entitled, “United for Water: Religions Speak on the Right to Water”, in Kuala Lumpur today, hereby resolve the following:
1. Water is God’s gift to people, is essential for life and belongs to everyone
Our religions and faiths believe water is sacred and the Creator’s gift to people. Water is life and must be respected. It is used in worship by all our religions and faiths. Therefore, it must be conserved and utilized as a basic need for all human beings and living things on the earth. It symbolizes life in its pristine form. The right to water is intrinsically linked to the right to life.
2. Access to water is a right
The human right to water entitles everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water. The use of pre-paid cards and water disconnections would be in violation of the right. The State needs to fulfill this right and is responsible to protect and promote the right. Access to water therefore cannot be premised on profitability. People should enjoy this right without discrimination.
The State should ensure that the right to water is represented and realized in the policies of the private water sector.
Fulfillment of the right to water should be consistent with the demands of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC, 1989), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW, 1979), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR, 1966).
3. Water conservation, preservation and protection is a responsibility of the people and the State
Water is a scarce resource. Citizens, the government, stakeholders and businesses should work together to ensure that water sources such as rivers, lakes, water catchments and groundwater are conserved, preserved and protected for the present and future generations.
Tender Out Next Month For RM3.8 Bln Pahang-Selangor Water Transfer Project
post by Susanne Chi
Bernama, August 29th, 2007 KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 (Bernama) -- The Energy Water and Communications Ministry will open the tender for the RM3.8 billion worth Pahang-Selangor raw water transfer project by next month. It will be an international tender exercise.
Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said the pre-qualification exercise has already been completed and the ministry was determined to carry out a proper tender exercise.
A proper tender will be probably be out in a month's time, he said, adding that the whole exercise was expected to take about two to three months to finish.
Lim was speaking to reporters after delivering a keynote address at the Fourth National Utilities Summit 2007, here Tuesday.
The Pahang-Selangor water project will involve the construction of the Kelau Dam and a 44.6 km long water transfer tunnel bored through Titiwangsa Range to transport water from Pahang river to Selangor.
Work is expected to commence early next year while completion will be in five years.
Dr Lim said the project would enable the government to supply alternative water sources such as underground water.
He said that a proper tender exercise for the project, estimated at RM3.8 billion could be reduced to RM3 billion.
On the project's infrastructure, he said the ministry has decided to award the construction of a water treatment plant namely `Langat 2' to Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Bhd (KDEB).
He said the award was timely and KDEB was a suitable candidate as it has been helping the ministry in preparing the infrastructure for the project.
The infrastructure works will cost about RM2 billion.
The water treatment plant under Langat 2 will have a capacity of 2,180 million litres per day and a network of pipes to distribute the treated water.
Bernama, August 29th, 2007 KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 (Bernama) -- The Energy Water and Communications Ministry will open the tender for the RM3.8 billion worth Pahang-Selangor raw water transfer project by next month. It will be an international tender exercise.
Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said the pre-qualification exercise has already been completed and the ministry was determined to carry out a proper tender exercise.
A proper tender will be probably be out in a month's time, he said, adding that the whole exercise was expected to take about two to three months to finish.
Lim was speaking to reporters after delivering a keynote address at the Fourth National Utilities Summit 2007, here Tuesday.
The Pahang-Selangor water project will involve the construction of the Kelau Dam and a 44.6 km long water transfer tunnel bored through Titiwangsa Range to transport water from Pahang river to Selangor.
Work is expected to commence early next year while completion will be in five years.
Dr Lim said the project would enable the government to supply alternative water sources such as underground water.
He said that a proper tender exercise for the project, estimated at RM3.8 billion could be reduced to RM3 billion.
On the project's infrastructure, he said the ministry has decided to award the construction of a water treatment plant namely `Langat 2' to Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Bhd (KDEB).
He said the award was timely and KDEB was a suitable candidate as it has been helping the ministry in preparing the infrastructure for the project.
The infrastructure works will cost about RM2 billion.
The water treatment plant under Langat 2 will have a capacity of 2,180 million litres per day and a network of pipes to distribute the treated water.
‘Water industry funds mismanaged’
post by Susanne Chi
‘Water industry funds mismanaged’
‘Water industry funds mismanaged’
KUALA LUMPUR: International studies indicate that 20%-40% of the financial resources in the water industry is drained by corruption, through revenue leakage, misallocation of funds to a nonperforming department and procurements, said social activist Josie Fernandez.
The lack of transparency intensifies water scarcity, she said at the “Coping with Water Scarcity” seminar here in conjunction with the recent World Water Day.
“The money is not in the water but in procurement and I think the public should be able to sit as a member of the boards in water operators and water supply companies to ensure open and transparent procurements,”said Fernandez,a member of anti-corruption group, Transparency
International (TI) Malaysia.
Citing the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board in Pakistan as an example, she said it had managed
to reduce costs through an integrity pact, involving the stakeholders, Karachi’s district government,
Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town,13 union councils and the TI-Pakistan Secretariat.
“Studies showed that in opening tenders and bidding processes for the replacement of pipe projects,
there was more than 500% cost reduction in acquiring pipes alone,” she said.
Fernandez also pointed out that community participation,particularly women,was essential in
conserving water.
Global Environment Centre’s project director, Dr. K. Kalithasan, said the conditions of water
resources and services were the effect of human activities and it was the people’s responsibility to ensure that quality was good.
Puncak Niaga signs deal on water plant
post by Susanne Chi
17-08-2007: Puncak Niaga signs deal on water plant
17-08-2007: Puncak Niaga signs deal on water plant
KUALA LUMPUR: Puncak Niaga Holdings Bhd has entered into a 28-year concession agreement with the Selangor state government for the operation and maintenance of the Sungai Lolo water treatment plant in Hulu Langat.
In a statement yesterday, Puncak Niaga said its 82.5%-owned subsidiary Puncak Niaga (M) Sdn Bhd (PNSB) has been appointed as the operator to manage, maintain and refurbish raw water intake, and the extended treatment plant.
It said a separate novation agreement was also signed between the Selangor government, PNSB and Puncak Niaga’s 70%-owned subsidiary Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) through which Syabas assumes all of the state’s rights under the operation and maintenance agreement.
Puncak Niaga said under the concession period from Dec 1, 2006 until Dec 31, 2034, PNSB had been granted the right to abstract raw water from Sungai Lolo or other sources as agreed by the director of Water Regulatory Department.
It would also have access and exclusive use of the plant area as well as the right to sell in bulk treated water produced from the operation of the facility to the state government.
Under the novation agreement, Syabas will assume the state government’s obligations with regards to the purchase of treated water from PNSB, payment for the bulk supply and all of the other obligations. Puncak Niaga said the execution of the agreements was not expected to have any effect on its earnings for the current financial year.
Religious Groups, NGOs Hold Gathering On Water Conservation
post by Susanne Chi
July 18, 2007 17:55 PM
July 18, 2007 17:55 PM
Religious Groups, NGOs Hold Gathering On Water Conservation
KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 (Bernama) -- Religious groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in their efforts to instill greater awareness among the public on the importance of conserving water, will be holding a discussion on the subject at Masjid Negara here on Aug 4.
The gathering will deliberate the different religious views on human rights to water and is themed "United for Water: Religions Speak on the Rights to Water" and will specifically refer to the United Nations's General Comment No 15.
Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud at a press conference on it here Wednesday, said: "The event hopes to raise awareness among Malaysians to conserve water and to respect and protect human rights to the precious resource."
The event is jointly organised by various organisations including Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM), Buddhist Missionary Society of Malaysia (BMSM), Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS), Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) and MTUC.
International Movement for a Just World (Just) president Dr Chandra Muzaffar will deliver the keynote address while papers will be presented by other speakers including the general-secretary of CCM, Rev Dr. Hermen Shastri and the president of Buddhist Maha Vihara, Sarath W. Surendre.
Those interested in participating in it can e-mail their details to monitoring.globalisation@gmail.com or call Simon Lee at 012-6332349.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
posted by NEO SEP 060157
Have will, can get clean rivers
Enforcement has ensured that Sungai Siniawan remains pollution-free despite
the presence of pig farms nearby.
KUCHING: Sungai Siniawan and Sungai Sarawak Kanan in Bau district have an image to protect - they are considered among the cleanest rivers in Sarawak. Their water is now crystal clear.
The pig farms that polluted the rivers in the past have toed the line drawn by the Natural Resources and Environmental Board (NREB).There are between 20,000 and 30,000 pigs in Siniawan.Sungai Siniawan, which flows into Sungai Sarawak Kanan, is an example how a river can be rehabilitated. It used to be heavily polluted.NREB officials took samples of water discharged from Yin Yan Pig Farm into Sungai Siniawan on Monday, and found the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) over five days was recorded at 51.2mg per litre of water. This is well below the maximum 250mg/l under the water quality standard for the country.
The Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of the samples taken from the river on Monday indicated that it was 299.8mg/l as against the maximum of 1,000mg/l under the Malaysian standard.The Total Suspended Solid (TSS) was recorded at 141.7mg/l, which was below the 300mg/l permitted by the Malaysian standard.“Talk that Sungai Siniawan is heavily polluted is untrue,” state government environmental adviser Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit said yesterday.Samples taken from Sungai Sarawak Kanan also showed that its water was free from pollution.Results of analyses from samples taken on June 28 at five different points in Sungai Sarawak Kanan showed that the BOD, COD and TSS were below the permitted quality levels.
Dawos, who is the Mambong MP, and some NREB officials had gone to the Yin Yan Pig Farm on Monday to take samples of its discharge. He said the farm had followed the guidelines issued by the NREB, such as construction of four lagoons and other facilities to keep its premises clean and tidy.The lagoons are used to separate waste from the water.“You can see that the water at the fourth lagoon is clear and ready to be discharged into the river.” Dawos said the state government had realised the need to regulate livestock farms in Sarawak because many of them were found to be discharging waste into the rivers.As a result, the Veterinary Public Health Ordinance was enacted by the state legislative assembly in 1999.
Dawos said the state government gave the livestock breeders a grace period of five years to meet the requirements and conditions stipulated by the ordinance.“Although we knew that many pig farms, for example, in Siniawan, were polluting the rivers, we did not take action against them. We gave them time to meet the requirements and, at the same time, we told them what they should do with their farms.”Nevertheless, he said some farms were fined when they were slow in meeting the requirements.“Now, however, all of them have toed the line.”
Under Part V of the ordinance pertaining to livestock farming, any farm with 100 head of cattle, pigs or goats and any farm with 1,000 chickens, ducks or geese is required to have a licence issued by the state veterinary authority to operate.Any person operating a farm without the licence faces a penalty of RM5,000 or two years’ jail or both .On regulations concerning the environment, the ordinance gives powers to the NREB to act.Dawos said based on these powers, the NREB required all pig farms to submit a half-yearly report to it pertaining to the pig population, among others.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Too many calls for Puspel to handle
post by Susanne Chi
Monday July 9, 2007
Monday July 9, 2007
Too many calls for Puspel to handle
THIS is a common problem often faced by consumers - calling Syabas' toll-free Puspel helpline, only to have the call not picked up or be transferred from one extension to another.
The Pusat Perkhidmatan Pelanggan (Puspel) toll-free line is one of the channels consumers throughout Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya can contact should they have any problems or enquiries about water supply services.
The 1800-88-5252 line is operational 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
“There are 60 lines available for the Puspel helpline, but the company has to handle about 2,000 phone calls every day,” said Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) Corporate Communications & Public Affairs Division general manager Abdul Halem Mat Som.
“There are some calls that will be abandoned, but we’ll get someone to entertain the calls on the caller's second attempt.”
On a recent complaint that calls to Puspel on the low water pressure issue in the SS1, SS2 and SS3 areas in Petaling Jaya were not picked up, he said that it could be that the callers tried calling only once.
“We apologise for the difficulties faced by them. If consumers' calls don't go through the first time, I’d suggest that they try calling again and we'll get somebody to answer their call,” said Abdul Halem.
Tender Out Next Month For RM3.8 Bln Pahang-Selangor Water Transfer Project
post by Susanne Chi
August 29th, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 (Bernama) -- The Energy Water and Communications Ministry will open the tender for the RM3.8 billion worth Pahang-Selangor raw water transfer project by next month. It will be an international tender exercise.Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said the pre-qualification exercise has already been completed and the ministry was determined to carry out a proper tender exercise.
A proper tender will be probably be out in a month's time, he said, adding that the whole exercise was expected to take about two to three months to finish.
Lim was speaking to reporters after delivering a keynote address at the Fourth National Utilities Summit 2007, here Tuesday.
The Pahang-Selangor water project will involve the construction of the Kelau Dam and a 44.6 km long water transfer tunnel bored through Titiwangsa Range to transport water from Pahang river to Selangor.
Work is expected to commence early next year while completion will be in five years.
Dr Lim said the project would enable the government to supply alternative water sources such as underground water.
He said that a proper tender exercise for the project, estimated at RM3.8 billion could be reduced to RM3 billion.
On the project's infrastructure, he said the ministry has decided to award the construction of a water treatment plant namely `Langat 2' to Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Bhd (KDEB).
He said the award was timely and KDEB was a suitable candidate as it has been helping the ministry in preparing the infrastructure for the project.
The infrastructure works will cost about RM2 billion.
The water treatment plant under Langat 2 will have a capacity of 2,180 million litres per day and a network of pipes to distribute the treated water.
What Do You Mean, “Never Mind the ‘Smelly’ Water?
post by Susanne Chi
2. It is unclear whether the samples were collected from relevant locations. It is also unclear how many samples were taken and whether the quality of the samples taken is sufficient to make the findings statistically valid.
3. It is unclear who ALS Technichem (M) Sdn. Bhd is. Are they an accredited firm with a proven ability to test water quality? Does this firm have the necessary equipment to test for heavy metals such as arsenic?
4. The standard used (Standard B of the Third Schedule in the Environmental Quality (Sewage and Industrial Effluents) Regulations 1979 are standards for discharge from factories into rivers. It is not the standard for in stream water quality. Therefore this is not the standard to evaluate quality of in stream water.
The NST should not rely on these samples and analysis to conclude that the water consumed is safe.
The NST should consult reports from the following authorities to determine if the drinking water is safe for consumption.
The standard set by the Ministry of Health is the National Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality Standards 1983 which states among other requirement that “drinking water must be clear, colourless and odourless” – all of which Syabas has failed to meet during polluted water crisis.
The Department of Environment is the final authority when it comes to the standard of water quality in stream (water quality in the river) and the Department of Environment has clearly stated that the ammonia content was 10 times higher than the previous level.
The Selangor government should also investigate the concessionaire based on the Selangor Water Enactment if the standards of water quality have been breached.
Therefore, we ask the Ministry of Health, Malaysia and the Department of Environment, Malaysia to publish their findings on the water quality of the Sungai Selangor as well as our drinking water supplied during the water pollution crisis.
CAWP also once again calls upon the government:
(i) to determine if Syabas was:
a) negligent;
b) compromised prescribed water quality standards; and
c) endangered public health in the affected areas;
(ii) to determine if Syabas should compensate water users in the affected areas;
(iii) To ensure, safeguard and protect catchment areas and strictly control any development within the catchment areas, especially upstream of the treatment plants. The government must enact laws to protect catchment areas and any form of developments in these areas;
(iv) to closely monitor of all existing sewage oxidation pond and sewage plant in water catchment areas and introduce warning system in case of pollution discharge;
(v) to declassify the Syabas concession agreement for public scrutiny;
(vi) To revoke the Concession Agreement with Syabas and take over the management of water in the state. The responsibility of supplying clean, safe, clear, odourless water to consumers should be the sole responsibility of the government and not left in the hands of the private sector.
Issued By:
Charles Santiago, Co-ordinator,
Coalition Against Water Privatisation.
H/p: 019-3150939
The Coalition Against Water Privatisation (CAWP) is most concerned with the misleading report provided by the New Straits Times dated 27th March 2006 on the analysis of the tap water in Klang Valley.
The analysis is dubious for the following reasons:
1. The NST reported that water samples sent for testing was collected on March 13, 2006. The pollution of tap water was first reported immediately after the floods on February 25th to 26th 2006. There is a significant time lag of almost two weeks between the reported pollution and the samples collected for analysis.2. It is unclear whether the samples were collected from relevant locations. It is also unclear how many samples were taken and whether the quality of the samples taken is sufficient to make the findings statistically valid.
3. It is unclear who ALS Technichem (M) Sdn. Bhd is. Are they an accredited firm with a proven ability to test water quality? Does this firm have the necessary equipment to test for heavy metals such as arsenic?
4. The standard used (Standard B of the Third Schedule in the Environmental Quality (Sewage and Industrial Effluents) Regulations 1979 are standards for discharge from factories into rivers. It is not the standard for in stream water quality. Therefore this is not the standard to evaluate quality of in stream water.
The NST should not rely on these samples and analysis to conclude that the water consumed is safe.
The NST should consult reports from the following authorities to determine if the drinking water is safe for consumption.
The standard set by the Ministry of Health is the National Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality Standards 1983 which states among other requirement that “drinking water must be clear, colourless and odourless” – all of which Syabas has failed to meet during polluted water crisis.
The Department of Environment is the final authority when it comes to the standard of water quality in stream (water quality in the river) and the Department of Environment has clearly stated that the ammonia content was 10 times higher than the previous level.
The Selangor government should also investigate the concessionaire based on the Selangor Water Enactment if the standards of water quality have been breached.
Therefore, we ask the Ministry of Health, Malaysia and the Department of Environment, Malaysia to publish their findings on the water quality of the Sungai Selangor as well as our drinking water supplied during the water pollution crisis.
CAWP also once again calls upon the government:
(i) to determine if Syabas was:
a) negligent;
b) compromised prescribed water quality standards; and
c) endangered public health in the affected areas;
(ii) to determine if Syabas should compensate water users in the affected areas;
(iii) To ensure, safeguard and protect catchment areas and strictly control any development within the catchment areas, especially upstream of the treatment plants. The government must enact laws to protect catchment areas and any form of developments in these areas;
(iv) to closely monitor of all existing sewage oxidation pond and sewage plant in water catchment areas and introduce warning system in case of pollution discharge;
(v) to declassify the Syabas concession agreement for public scrutiny;
(vi) To revoke the Concession Agreement with Syabas and take over the management of water in the state. The responsibility of supplying clean, safe, clear, odourless water to consumers should be the sole responsibility of the government and not left in the hands of the private sector.
Issued By:
Charles Santiago, Co-ordinator,
Coalition Against Water Privatisation.
H/p: 019-3150939
Human faeces killing rivers
post by Susanne Chi
“But we, the individuals, are the main source (of pollution). If we realise this, we will stop pointing fingers at others,” he said after visiting the Kilim River here yesterday.
Human faeces killing rivers
LANGKAWI: Human faeces, and not industrial waste, make up the bulk of organic pollutants in the heavily polluted rivers of the country.
Drainage and Irrigation Department director-general Datuk Keizrul Abdullah said a study carried out by the Department of Environment two years ago showed that 91% of the organic pollution was caused by faecal matters.
He said this occurred because many residents who used septic tanks refused to engage Indah Water Konsortium to carry out de-sludging periodically.
“There is general misconception that the main sources of pollution are from industrial waste and landfills.
 |
Causing damage: Rubbish filling up the rubbish trap at Sungai Keladi in Kelantan as a DOE study found that faecal matters has been the cause of 91% of organic pollution in rivers. — Bernama |
Keizrul said earthworks that caused siltation make up the bulk of the physical pollutants.
“We have imposed erosion and sediment control plan on developers to control physical pollution,” he said.
On a recent statement made by Environment Minister Datuk Azmi Khalid that the Love Our River campaign initiated in 1993 was a failure, Keizrul said the programme had at least succeeded in creating awareness on river pollution.
“Now, we are taking our campaign a step further, through education. We are formulating a curriculum for schools to teach children how to assess levels of pollution using a bio indicator technique,” he said.
Keizrul said children were the best agents for change.
Of the 2,000 rivers in Malaysia, 16 have been identified as dead rivers. “The worst polluted rivers are in Penang, Selangor and Johor,” he said.
He said RM200mil was allocated under the Ninth Malaysia Plan for the One State, One River project to clean up the most polluted river in each state.
“Our ultimate aim is to ensure all the 189 river basins in the country are clean by 2020,” he said, adding that Malaysia has 35,000km of rivers.
M'sians Use Four Times More Water Than Necessary, Says Expert
post by Susanne Chi
Dr K. Kalithasan of the Global Environment Centre (GEC) said Malaysians were using between 184 and 500 litres daily.
Much of the water is wasted for "businesses" in the toilet and bathroom, he told reporters after presenting a talk at a workshop on water conservation for 70 students, here.
Kalithasan said the daily water usage per Malaysian was about 184 litres but in bigger towns and cities the usage could reach as high as 300 to 500 litres.
He said Malaysians were generally living in a comfort zone where water scarcity was still not a huge issue.
"We only appreciate it (water) when crises arise," he said.
The two-year national water conservation campaign, which started in July last year, is jointly organised by the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry, the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) and GEC.
On the role of the public in river conservation efforts, Kalithasan said the government should transfer the responsiblity and let the general public hold ownership of such projects if it is serious about the efforts yielding positive results in the long run.
He said the government was now holding the responsibility of river conservation and the participation from the grassroots in the effort was too scarce and not consistent.
He said many of such projects failed because the allocated money was largely spent on advertisements rather than proactive action that involved people at the grassroots level.
"When the community doesn't hold the ownership, it doesn't feel the need to be responsible for the rivers. Ideally, such projects should be focused on the grassroots level where the community is provided with some resources to launch their campaigns," he said.
Dr K. Kalithasan of the Global Environment Centre (GEC) said Malaysians were using between 184 and 500 litres daily.
Much of the water is wasted for "businesses" in the toilet and bathroom, he told reporters after presenting a talk at a workshop on water conservation for 70 students, here.
Kalithasan said the daily water usage per Malaysian was about 184 litres but in bigger towns and cities the usage could reach as high as 300 to 500 litres.
He said Malaysians were generally living in a comfort zone where water scarcity was still not a huge issue.
"We only appreciate it (water) when crises arise," he said.
The two-year national water conservation campaign, which started in July last year, is jointly organised by the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry, the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) and GEC.
On the role of the public in river conservation efforts, Kalithasan said the government should transfer the responsiblity and let the general public hold ownership of such projects if it is serious about the efforts yielding positive results in the long run.
He said the government was now holding the responsibility of river conservation and the participation from the grassroots in the effort was too scarce and not consistent.
He said many of such projects failed because the allocated money was largely spent on advertisements rather than proactive action that involved people at the grassroots level.
"When the community doesn't hold the ownership, it doesn't feel the need to be responsible for the rivers. Ideally, such projects should be focused on the grassroots level where the community is provided with some resources to launch their campaigns," he said.
post by Susanne Chi
17-08-2007: Puncak Niaga signs deal on water plant
17-08-2007: Puncak Niaga signs deal on water plant
KUALA LUMPUR: Puncak Niaga Holdings Bhd has entered into a 28-year concession agreement with the Selangor state government for the operation and maintenance of the Sungai Lolo water treatment plant in Hulu Langat.
In a statement yesterday, Puncak Niaga said its 82.5%-owned subsidiary Puncak Niaga (M) Sdn Bhd (PNSB) has been appointed as the operator to manage, maintain and refurbish raw water intake, and the extended treatment plant.
It said a separate novation agreement was also signed between the Selangor government, PNSB and Puncak Niaga’s 70%-owned subsidiary Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) through which Syabas assumes all of the state’s rights under the operation and maintenance agreement.
Puncak Niaga said under the concession period from Dec 1, 2006 until Dec 31, 2034, PNSB had been granted the right to abstract raw water from Sungai Lolo or other sources as agreed by the director of Water Regulatory Department.
It would also have access and exclusive use of the plant area as well as the right to sell in bulk treated water produced from the operation of the facility to the state government.
Under the novation agreement, Syabas will assume the state government’s obligations with regards to the purchase of treated water from PNSB, payment for the bulk supply and all of the other obligations. Puncak Niaga said the execution of the agreements was not expected to have any effect on its earnings for the current financial year.
post by Susanne Chi
Response to Talkings points for Yang Berhormat Metery KTAK for the senior EditorsMeeting on 2d May 2006
1. Sovereignty Over Water Supply
Minister’s Statement:
CAWP alleged that if a service like water supply is provided on a commercial and profit basis it will be subjected to take over by foreign corporations which will have the same rights as local companies. Government not aware of how the World Trade Organisation (WTO) General Agreement on Trade and Services (GATS) to which Malaysia is a signatory will impact the industry if the Bill is passed.
KTAK has consulted Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), which has confirmed that Malaysia will not make a liberalisation commitment in the WTO regarding water supply or water services. Thus the water industry will not be subjected to take over by foreign corporations despite there would be pressure for Malaysia to do so.
However, according to MITI the Government is firm that Malaysia would not liberalise the water industry as it is considered a basic utility and should not be opened for international market forces to determine.
MTUC/CAWP’s Response:
a) We welcome the Malaysian government’s commitment not to liberalise the water sector. However, we believe that this intention to be more meaningful should be made into law. In the real politics of WTO negotiations, trading off the competitive advantage of one country for another is a key feature. Only a legally binding provision can protect the countries sovereignty and natural resources.
b) Developing countries such as Malaysia, very often come under pressure to open up their service sectors, as a ‘trade-off’ for developed countries’ concession in other areas such as agriculture and better market access for industrial goods.
c) Given that Malaysia’s main exports are agriculture (Agreement on Agriculture) and manufacturing products (Non Agricultural Market Access), this ‘trade-off’ can be an extremely powerful tool for industrialised countries to extract offers in the sectors of their choice.
d) By committing a services sector to liberalisation a WTO Members (such as Malaysia) is legally bound by GATS to provide national treatment and market access to all foreign service suppliers of other Members in that sector. For example, Malaysia has made some commitments in opening its private hospital services. It therefore cannot restrict, for instance, any foreign based medical laboratories from providing electronic diagnostic tests to customers in Malaysia.
e) Furthermore, once a GATS commitment is made, it cannot be withdrawn or modified, unless compensation is given to all Members affected. Therefore, it is important to realise that by making a commitment, a government is effectively “locked” into its schedule, which limits its future policy options. The GATS is essentially about progressive liberalisation.
f) The European Commission has made bilateral and plurilateral requests on environmental services including drinking water and sewerage.
g) The European Commission (EC) in its bilateral requests and offer process to Malaysia is entitled: ‘GATS 2000, Request from The EC and its member states to Malaysia’
Water for Human Use and Wastewater management, which includes “Water collection, purification and distribution services through mains. The Mode used is Mode 3, which demands Malaysia to take commitments under Market Access and National Treatment.
At the plurilateral level the EU has requested for sewerage services for liberalisation
MTUC/CAWP’s Recommendation
MTUC/CAWP reiterates that the only manner to ensure that water resources and management remains in the hands of the nation is define the word “person” in the Water Services Industry Bill (WSI) 2006 as “state party” and “fully owned state corporation”
2. Absence of Consumer Protection Clauses
Minister’s Statement
It is not true that there is an absence of consumer protection clauses in the bill. In fact the ten national policy objectives for the water supply services and sewerage services industry as outlined in the explanatory statement of the Bills clearly encapsulates the intention of the bill. More specifically 7 out of 10 objectives stated in the explanatory statements are on consumer protection i.e. 2(a), (b), (d), (f), (g), (h) and (j).
In addition, there are many clauses that are drafted to promote consumers’ interest covering the following areas. Explanations of the Clauses are in Appendix 1
MTUC/CAWP’s Response:
a) We had argued with the Minister that in making judgments, learned judges would refer to the clauses in the Act rather than the explanatory statement. MTUC/CAWP had requested that the Ministry make the explanatory note, the preamble of the WSI Bill, thereby giving it the effective legal power to ensure the intent of the Bill were achieved should disputes arise.
b) As reflected by the Minister’s answer above, there is no specific clause which guarantees consumers their rights or the highest consumer standards. In fact, consumers are not even guaranteed their right to redress or compensation in these bills.
c) Below we provide the Clauses, which relate to consumer protection to demonstrate how weakly they are worded, rendering them totally ineffective.
WSI Section 33 | A service licensee providing water supply services or sewerage services has a general duty to - (a) deal reasonably with consumers; and (b) adequately address consumer complaints
This is a very general and fuzzy requirement on the part of the service licensee to consumers. |
WSI Section 41 | (1) The water distribution licensee shall, when supplying water to any premises, ensure that at the time of supply the quality of water supplied complies with the minimum quality standards as prescribed by the Minister.
Water Quality – minimum quality standards as prescribed by the Minister. This statement does not ensure that water quality in Malaysia is of the highest standards.
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| WSI Section 88 and 89 | Section 88 (1) Any sum of money in respect of – (a) water supplied or services rendered in connection with such supply; or (b) the provision of sewerage services,
shall be payable, within thirty days from the date of presentation of the bill, to the service licensee and if such sum is not so paid, the sum shall be recoverable by the service licensee through civil action in court.
Section 89 (1) Subject to subsection (2), a water distribution licensee may – (a) disconnect the supply of water to a consumer by severing the service water pipe or cut off the water supply including the right to reduce the supply of water or pressure of the water supply; and (b) take such other means as it deems fit and proper.
Provides for automatic disconnection of water supply after 30 days. The Bill does not make it mandatory for the water operators to resolve the matter with the consumer such as sending notices, rescheduling payment, providing for flexible payments, etc.
|
| WSI Section 68 | “The Commissioners may develop consumer standards on its own initiative or upon recommendation from the Water Forum…”
There is no guarantee that the highest consumer standards will be developed.
|
| WSI Section 69 | (1) The Commission shall designate a body to be know as the “Water Forum” for the purposes of this Act by notifying the body in writing, if the Commission is satisfied that – (a) the membership of the body is open to all persons; (b) the body is capable of performing as required under the relevant provisions of this Act; and (c) the body has a written constitution.
The Water Forum is open to any “relevant persons”. This creates barriers to civil society is setting best practices and highest standards as they will be confronted by the industry players even at the conceptual stage. Water Forum will be weighted in favour of industry.
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| SPAN Section 15 | There is also no explicit statement that among the functions of the Commissioners is to protect the consumer interest.
|
3. Minister’s Power
Minister’s Statement
There is no absolute power accorded to the Minister because most of the decisions to be made are either based on Cabinet decision or SPANs recommendation. However under circumstances for the purpose of national interest, prompt decision has to be made. The Minister shall exercise its authority as the Minister in charge of the water services. For the appointment of the Chairman of SPAN, administratively it is still bound to the Prime Minister’s decision. List of powers accorded to the Minister are listed in Appendix 2.
MTUC/CAWP’s Response:
a) The Minister is the final decision maker in all matters in this legislation;
b) Section 5(1) states that the Minister is to appoint Commissioners. However, the criteria stated (Section 5(1) (c) … have experience and shown capacity and professionalism in matters relating to finance, engineering, business or administration, or to be otherwise suitable for appointment because of their special knowledge and experience. These favours ex – civil servants and industry actors and may discriminate against civil society, especially environmentalists and consumer advocates.
c) Section 11(1) Minister may at any time revokes the appointment of any member of the Commission without assigning any reason for the revocation
d) Section 18(1) The Commission shall be responsible to the Minister
There is no language as “the Minister shall give due regards to the recommendation of the Commissioners.” Instead the various clause which the refer to the Minister’s decision making ability as “may upon the recommendation of the Commission”
The issue of collective responsibility of the Cabinet and referring to the Prime Minister do not apply, as it is matters relating to Executive powers. In relation to powers granted to the Minister through this legislation, this is the first Bill, which provides far-reaching powers to the Minister with no bounds, safe the powers of the Executive.
4. Lack of an effort to benchmark water quality (CAWP)
Minister’s Statement
Clause 41 on water quality require that the water distribution licensee shall, when supplying water to any premise, ensure that at the time of supply, the quality of water supplied complies with the minimum standards as prescribed by the Minister. Currently the standard is based on standard set by the Ministry of Health guidelines on water quality (World Health Organisation minimum standard). Failure to comply commits an offence under the Act.
Commission may, under Clause 68, on its own initiative or upon the recommendation of the Water Forum, prepare or caused to be prepared consumer standards and this may include benchmarking on water quality.
Under Clause 175, the Commission is required to monitor all significant matters relating to water supply and sewerage services industry and report to the Minister at the end of each financial year of the Commission. This shall include the services and performance standards of licensees. The Commission shall publish the report in a manner deems appropriate as soon as practicable following the date on which the Commission conveys the report.
MTUC/CAWP’s Response:
a) Clause 41 gives the power to the Minister to decide on the minimum water quality standard. This can erode existing high water quality standards in Malaysia.
b) The technology used by water treatment operators is of the lowest level treating water only for bacteria and sediments. The current technology (except for Seremban) does not address the toxic waste in Malaysian rivers. There is no incentive or rewards to force the water operators to increase the water quality.
c) The Minister does not have any power to regulate issues relating water catchments and upstream of water intakes.
5. Infringement on Fundamental Human Rights to Affordable Access of Water (Query raised by the DAP)
Minister’s Statement
The objective of restructuring the water industry by the government is to ensure affordable and accessibility of water to all citizens. There will be no more privatisation, as the water operators would be given license to operate. The government has also instructed that all state government are to corporatise their state water authorities. This is to ensure that the water operators are run efficiently even if they are government owned corporations.
Water is an essential necessity thus the government will ensure the public will have access to continuous supply of clean, treated water.
MTUC/CAWP’s Response
a) The MTUC/CAWP has requested that the phrase “…that water is an entitlement” be inserted into the Bills. The Minister agreed but unfortunately did not deliver on his pledge.
b) The MTUC/CAWP had asked that the word “person” be defined as state parties and state owned corporations be inserted into the interpretation section. This will ensure that water will be managed by the state and/or its agencies.
6. Allowing Market Forces to Decide on Water Supply Unethical and Immoral (Query raised by the DAP)
Minister’s Statement
The water services industry is a strictly regulated service and unlike other services there is no intention of liberalising it by allowing the market forces to decide on water supply to the public. In the new industry structure every service provider in the industry would be licensed.
MTUC/CAWP’s Response
Section 191 provides a list of 15 private companies managing the water supply in Peninsular Malaysia. The government has already liberalised the market as these private companies operate in response to market forces. Water companies such as Puncak Niaga, and Ranhill are listed in the stock market and have to meet financial projections, especially tariff increase for increase in stock value.
7. Failure to Address Environmental Concerns by Protecting Water Sources. (Query raised by the DAP)
Minister’s Statement
This is not true as under Clause 55 of the Water Services Industry Bill if the licensee is of the opinion that the supply of water is unsafe for the purpose of normal supply to the public or poses a health risk to the public the water distribution licensee shall immediately temporarily cease the supply of water to any premises.
MTUC/CAWP Response
a) Clause 55 allows for the water operators to shut down the treatment plant without compensating the water users or providing the water users with alternative water supply. This will further cause hardship to water users as they will have to source for water.
b) The Minister does not have any power to regulate issues relating water catchments and upstream of water intakes.
c) Furthermore, the Water Bills do not promote water demand management but continuous to promote meeting water supply needs.
8. Lack of consultation with the Rakyat on Impact of Bills (DAP)
Minister’s Statement
This is not true of the Water Services Industry Bill and the Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Air Negara Bill is the first 2 bills that the government has declassified to enable the Ministry to have public consultations with all stakeholders and the public at large. Altogether there been public consultations made before and after the drafting of the 2 Bills. Details of the consultations are as detailed below.
| Item | No. of Consultations |
| Consultation before and during drafting of Bills | 43 |
| Consultation after approval of Cabinet | 13 |
MTUC/CAWP Response
We welcomed the Minister’s mature decision to declassify the Bills. This provides the Ministry with the opportunity to tap into the expertise of the private sector and civil society to scrutinise the Bills thereby further enhancing them. However, after various parties submitted 350 recommendations, only 3 minor changes were made. This is most disappointing especially when both the private sector and civil society acknowledges that the Bills are seriously flawed.
9. No guarantee of Efficiency, cost and Quality of Water (Query raised by the DAP)
Minister’s Statement
The Bill does not make any provision for privatisation of supply of water. However, with the existence of the national water regulator, this would enable the government to ensure that the water operators would perform efficiently supplying water at the cost that is affordable and according to the quality determined.
MTUC/CAWP’s Response
a) The Bills allow for the licensing of private companies to manage water services in the country. If it is true that that the Bill does not make any provision for privatisation, why isn’t it unambiguously stated in the Bill.
b) Clause 175 is about the “Reporting to Minister on industry performance.” MTUC/CAWP calls that full disclosure of all information related to industry be made mandatory for public scrutiny. As the provision of water is a natural monopoly, only through full transparency can benchmarked competition be effective. Furthermore, the Water User Forum shall have full oversight over these industry data.
10. Apparent advantages that will be given to water industry players to dominate the water forum and Commission (Query raised by the DAP)
Minister’s Statement
This is not true as the Commission may decide that an existing body that was previously designated as the Water Forum is no longer an appropriate body for the purpose of the Act if it is not satisfied that the body no longer meets the requirements set out in Clause 69(10) (b) i.e. the body is incapable of performing the functions imposed on it as a Water Forum.
MTUC/CAWP’s Response
The MTUC/CAWP wants the Bills (Clause 69) to make it explicit that the Water Forum is restricted only to water users and civil society. Examples of these groupings are consumer groups, residents associations, environmental groups, human rights groups, farmers’ organisations, associations representing small and medium scale enterprise, etc. No water industry player is allowed in the forum.
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