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BY FATIHAH MANAF
BEING seen as an unlimited resource , access to clean water is often taken for granted by many people . While the earth may not run out of water , it is hard to guarantee that future generations will have sufficient potable water access . Global Environment Centre ( GEC ), during the International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia ( IGEM ) 2021 , held a virtual discussion titled ‘ Water resources management : Redefining sustainability ’, which sought to enhance Malaysians ’ understanding of local water resources and sustainable water management practices .
“ We hope it sheds light on how businesses can integrate sustainable water management within their operations while engaging meaningfully to fulfil their social and environmental obligations ,” said Faizal Parish , GEC Director and the moderator of the session .
The discussion featured Dr Kalithasan Kailasam ( Manager of GEC ’ s River Care Programme ), Dato ’ Ir . Nor Hisham Mohd Ghazali ( Director-General of the Department of Irrigation and Drainage Malaysia ) and Renuka Indarajah ( Trustee Member of SPARK Foundation and Corporate Affairs & Legal Director of Heineken Malaysia Berhad ).
A new perspective of water
Kalithasan highlighted that water problems were usually caused by economic activities , climate change , population , competition & conflicts , water use and pollution . He said in 11 years , people might not have clean water due to these activities .
He then talked about Integrated Water Resources Management ( IWRM ), a process that promotes the coordinated development and management of water , land and related resources .
IWRM is done to maximise economic and social welfare equitably without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems . It requires a cross-sectoral , multi-level approach within each river basin .
Kalithasan believed Malaysians needed to see water from a new perspective .
“ First , water is infinite , but potable water is not . Second , when we ’ re talking about water , we ’ re talking about Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ) because water also contributes significantly to the country ’ s GDP .
“ Third , water is a social commodity . Then , water is fundamental for all 17 Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ), and we ’ re also talking about Malaysia ’ s obligation to global ( sustainability ) reporting .
“ The most important thing is we need to treat water as a national security .”
He then shared about the National Agenda on Water Sector Transformation 2040 ( WST 2040 ), which aimed to transform the national water sector from one that empowered the economy to one that was dynamic and able to contribute
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significantly to the country ’ s GDP .
The plan would directly enhance the employment opportunities in the water sector and forge the nation ’ s science , technology , and innovation development .
The programme manager then acknowledged the efforts done by stakeholders but emphasised the need for a more coordinated work in sustainable water management .
Addressing Malaysia ’ s water challenges through IRBM
Nor Hisham explained water security was an acceptable quantity and quality of water that can sustain society ’ s livelihoods , wellbeing and socio-economic development .
“ In water security , we are trying to ensure that we are protected from water-borne pollution and water-related disasters , ensuring that the ecosystems are preserved or conserved , and lead us to a peaceful society and a better living environment .”
He then emphasised that a sustainable water resources management strategy is vital to minimise potential conflicts in economic development , social well-being , and ecosystems conservation .
Speaking on the interconnectivity of water resources , economy and people , Nor Hisham said the demand and importance of these three elements must be balanced in the water management strategy .
“ Despite the rainfall that we get , we still need to be careful in managing water resources to meet future water challenges ,” said Nor Hisham , further adding that Malaysia as a developing nation is facing numerous issues and challenges to build a water-secure country .
The director-general then laid out some of Malaysia ’ s water challenges , which are :
• Poor enforcement in handling pollution .
• Weak and non-uniform State Laws .
• Non-integrated management and planning .
• Water is not the top priority in development .
• Inadequate knowledge and skills in water management .
• Absence of water policy commitments by agencies and local government . He said these challenges must be addressed with proper water management tools .
He then shared one of the solutions for the water management issue , the Integrated River Basin Management ( IRBM ). According to Nor Hisham , IRBM involved many components such as planning , financing , institution , legislation , enforcement , preventive , curative , and awareness .
“ IRBM lays the foundation for connectivity between resources , economy and people . IRBM must be owned by all . Everyone has a role to play in it , be it a private or public entity .”
Sustainable water use from a corporate ’ s perspective
Renuka then shared Heineken ’ s experience in its sustainable water management journey . She revealed that the company is moving towards healthy watersheds globally by setting four targets .
These targets include fully balance
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Faizal Parish
water used of Heineken ’ s products in water-stressed areas by 2030 , maximise , reuse and recycle in water-stressed areas by 2030 , treat 100 per cent of wastewater of all breweries by 2023 and reducing average water intake to 2.6 hl / hl in waterstressed regions and 2.9 hl / hl worldwide by 2030 .
“ I ’ m pleased to share with you that Heineken Malaysia Berhad has already achieved two out of these four global targets well ahead of time ,” said Renuka .
She shared Heineken ’ s water strategy called ‘ Every Drop ’, which includes water stewardship , water circularity and water efficiency .
“ These three principles combined in this pyramid to ensure that we move towards a healthy watershed . Water efficiency is all about minimising the water used in our production . Water circularity is about maximising , reusing and recycling of treated water and water stewardship to balance the water use in our products fully .”
One of Heineken ’ s critical initiatives regarding water efficiency is reusing treated wastewater for non-potable use . As for water circularity , the organisation ’ s wastewater is treated beyond the standards of the Department of Environment .
“ We aim to maximise water circularity through recovery , reuse and recycling .”
She then explained that water stewardship is the water use that considered social , environmental and economic benefits . It was achieved through a stakeholderinclusive process that involves site and catchment-based actions .
Renuka emphasised that the success factors for the organisation were the awareness creation effort which changed the mindset of people , the empowered local communities who took charge of their water source and Heineken ’ s collaborations with multiple stakeholders .
“ Water is a finite resource . There are water shortages felt across the globe and every one of us , corporates in Malaysia , needs to take care of our watersheds .
“ There ’ s much work to be done to preserve our watersheds , to ensure the long-term supply of water to our industries , to minimise destruction in supply and to ensure continued smooth operations of all our businesses .” — @ green
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Dato ’ Ir . Nor Hisham Mohd Ghazali
Renuka Indarajah
Dr Kalithasan Kailasam
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