The Star 26 May 19;
IPOH (Bernama): The Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry plans to build more water treatment plants in order to further improve the water supply system in the country, says minister Dr A. Xavier Jayakumar.
He said the matter would be included in the 12th Malaysia Plan (2021-2025) and is expected to be realised fully within the next 10 or 15 years.
He also acknowledged that this entailed considerable expenditure.
"For example, Kuala Kangsar and Larut often face water shortage due to lack of adequate water to meet demand during festive seasons," he told reporters after attending a breaking of fast event organised by the Perak PKR here Saturday (May 25) night.
He said it was important that in the event of a disruption, raw water supply can accommodate the needs of the population in a particular area.
Commenting further, Xavier said when water supply disruption occurs frequently, it would not only trouble people but would also cause huge losses to water utility companies.
"We want to ensure that raw water storage in a particular area exceeds from five or six percent to meet people's need, compared to the current status which is only about two percent," he said. - Bernama
Govt to map, tap underground water, says Xavier Jayakumar
martin carvalho The Star 27 May 19;
KUALA LUMPUR: The government plans to map and tap sources of underground water, says Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar.
The moves comes after it was revealed that the nation is relying on only 5% of water sources available although 95% of the country's water remain untapped underground.
"We have a large volume of underground water.
"We haven't actually tapped that source at all," he said at the launching of the Water Asset Revenue Management System for Smart Water Grid Networks here on Monday (May 27).
"From there, we will know where the underground water is.
"Then we will decide how to use the underground water as a raw water source," he added.
Dr Xavier said that the mapping would be carried out initially in Johor, Kedah and Selangor.
He cited a recent example where underground water was extracted via tube wells in drought-stricken areas in Kedah.
Earlier in his speech, Dr Xavier urged state governments to work together to better manage the nation's water resources.
As a finite resource, he said that some states have started bickering among themselves on how best to preserve and protect their own water sources.
He said the government is expected to allocate more towards the improvement and development of water infrastructure within the next 15 years.
