Malaysia: The risk of facing a water shortage crisis

Many of the 189 river basins in Malaysia are in desperate water shortage. Many major Malaysian cities like Kuala Lumpur and Malacca may not have enough water because of the overused and polluted river basins. This warning by Malaysia's Ministry of Irrigation and Irrigation Director Keizrul Abdullah sounds extreme, but that's the current reality in the country.

Keizrul Abdullah predicts that many parts of Malaysia, especially the Klang valley, will suffer from a water crisis early next year unless the relevant departments and people begin to seriously concern the rivers.

Garbage everywhere: One is picking up plastic bottles piled up in Sungai Selangor River.( Photo: The Star )

On the one hand, Malaysia has river basins that are overloaded due to problems caused by overgrowth. On the other hand, the number of people dependent on these rivers is still increasing because they are attracted by this development. And that is the recipe for disaster.

Keizrul describes the problem facing Malaysia as "a classic situation when rivers are under pressure of development."

River side waste: Construction waste along the Sungai Selangor River is also a source of river pollution.( Photo: The Star )

Pollution caused by industrial waste, waste water and sediment reduces the amount of water in rivers. People are also taking more water from the rivers, causing the river water to drop and pollution more concentrated.

Not only in the Klang Valley, the water supply crisis is also imminent in Penang and Malacca. According to Keizrul Abdullah, this situation occurs due to dry weather and inefficient management of water sources.

The problem of water shortage in the dry season especially occurs in over-used river basins because these river basins have less groundwater reserves due to drainage systems discharging rainwater into rivers and discharging in a way Crime to the sea.

Indiscriminate sand mining eroded the banks of rivers in Selangor state.( Photo: CNA )

Unless this problem is solved, it will be time for some river basins in Malaysia to not even have enough water to reach the sea in the dry season, not to mention the supply of water to households.

Some river basins that provide clean water to people have reached their limits. Currently, the water demand of Selangor and Federal Territory is 2,500 million liters per day and will double by 2010.

Therefore, Keizrul Abdullah recommends that the authorities have to offer more comprehensive programs so that the water-lead areas are not polluted by industries, enact development paths and good control methods. as well as operating the water management system better. And people have to stop treating the rivers as if they were their toilet!

Considering the current situation, according to Keizrul, it is time for Malaysia to prioritize effective river management because more than 97% of Malaysia's water supply is supplied by rivers, the rest is from underground water. People must contribute to the government's efforts by using water effectively and not treating rivers as landfills. For example, people can start by collecting and storing rainwater like the previous generation did and using rainwater to wash and flush the toilet. Keizrul also asked the government to raise water taxes so that more revenue could be established to create a water fund to restore the rivers.

Minh Thuong