Malaysia: Johor prince spearheads effort to recycle waste water to boost state's water reserves

Ahmad Fairuz Othman New Straits Times 28 Feb 17;

JOHOR BARU: Johor will become the first state in the country to recycle waste water for use in the industrial sector under an initiative spearheaded by Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Sultan Ibrahim.

The Johor prince said the initiative was urgently needed because of the estimated 1,173 million litres per day (MLD) of waste water produced by Johor, which could be recycled to boost the overall water reserves in the state.

Tunku Idris said the country's first facility to process waste water will be built in Pasir Gudang, which will be turned into an eco-friendly industrial town.

"Since most of the domestic water supply is discharged into our drains and rivers instead of consumer as drinking water, I have worked with world class technology partners over the last 12 months to draw up plans for recycled water for the use of our industries in Johor and it is called Bluewater.

"Like NEWater in Singapore, the water will be tested to meet World Health Organisation standards and UN-water (United Nations-Water) guidelines," Tunku Idris told a press conference here.

Tunku Idris is honorary chairman of Jauhar Green Sdn Bhd, a company in green technology initiatives, which is instrumental in developing

The announcement for the waste water recycling facility in Pasir Gudang will be made by the end of next month.

The facility is expected to be built within the next three years, and involves a collaboration with the state government subsidiary Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor Sdn Bhd.

"This initiative to recycle waste water for industries is the first of its kind in the country.

"If we do not start now, then when? We cannot risk having another water shortage," he said referring to cases of low water levels recorded in a few dams in Johor in the past two years.


Johor to open water recycling plant in Pasir Gudang in March
MOHD FARHAAN SHAH The Star 2 Mar 17;

JOHOR BARU: Johor will soon have its own water recycling technology to provide clean water in the state.

Jauhar Green honorary chairman Tunku Temenggong of Johor Tunku Idris Iskandar Ibni Sultan Ibrahim said people should not take clean water for granted.

The supply of water is uncertain as it is dependent on the weather while it is also costly to maintain the state’s water supply, from pipelines to reservoirs, he added.

He also said that the 332 litres of potable water used or lost per capita per day, less than 2% was consumed as drinking water while the rest were used in bathrooms and for household appliances like washing machines.

“When this 326 litres is discharged into the drains, it is termed as wastewater.

“Imagine the amount used and discharged daily by 3.6 million Johoreans.

“That is 1,173 million litres per day, about the same amount we sell to Singapore daily,” he said during a press conference at the Istana Johor Department in Istana Besar here.

Tunku Idris pointed out that Johor has 5.6 million people and big industrial users which use lots of water.

He said recycling water was common in Australia and California in the United States.

In Singapore, the Public Utilities Board launched Newater in 2003.

He added that Newater was primarily used for industries in Singapore and it met 30% of the island republic’s water needs.

Tunku Idris said Johor had to start water recycling to protect its national parks and rainforest from encroachment.

“As development, industrialisation and urbanisation shrink our water catchments, our land and rivers will be able to absorb less of Johor’s rainfall, thereby reducing our water resources,” he said, adding that there was a solution to this.

He said he was working closely with world class technology partners over the last 12 months to draw up plans for recycled water for the use of industries in Johor, and it is called Bluewater.

Like Newater in Singapore, the water will be tested to meet World Health Organisation (WHO) standards and UN guidelines, he said, adding that the results were given to the state government.

The Bluewater plant in Pasir Gudang is expected to be launched later this month.