February is already coming to an end and we have faced a significant number of water-related problems. From water supply disruptions to floods, we either have too much or too little water, bringing disaster and frustration to Malaysians.

Unlike our usual hot and dry Chinese New Year, this year’s festive season is a little different. Data from the Malaysian Metrological Department shows that in January itself, 20 out of 34 rain monitoring stations showed “much above average” values for rainfall. This change in rainfall pattern is then tied to the unusual number of floods we have seen this year.

We can easily blame climate change for this change in weather pattern, but we still need to acknowledge that there are many water problems that are caused by people, too. For example, the recent water supply disruptions in KL and Selangor which were caused by river pollution. A single case like this affected 1.8 million people, causing inconvenience to people and also businesses.

Remember that our water resource is limited, and pollution cases like these will reduce it more.

The danger of losing water is not only limited to river pollutions. Now we have pipes bursting all over the country due to the old age of these pipes. This means unexpected water cuts and unknown recovery times for many of us. For those who experienced this, I’m sure you would remember that feeling of coming home from school or work only to find that you cannot bath or even use the toilet!

Despite all these problems, Malaysians still seem like they are comfortable with the current situation as we forget about most problems the moment it goes away. However, we should never let our guard down as we can expect to face even more water-related problems in the future.

Imagine the future when our industries are more developed and our population has increased. We would need to use more water, but by then the amount of water supply we have might be less than now due to all the mismanagement problems which could have been avoided. Surely development is important, but we must never sacrifice our most basic needs such as food, water and a liveable environment.

Today’s water problems are already a sign of the more serious problem we would face in the future, so we need to make sure that we start dealing with them now. Even if we cannot control the natural causes, there are still heaps of problems that are within the control of humans. If the push for action from the people is strong enough, the authorities and industries would then have to put more focus on these issues.

NAH KOK WAI is research and policy executive, Forum Air Malaysia.