Recent headlines on Kelantan’s water tariff hike along with the criticism by Husam Musa on the mismanagement of its forest reserves raise questions on the water security in Kelantan.

The clearing of thousands of hectares of virgin rainforest to accommodate the state government’s insatiable thirst for unsustainable development is not just a threat to the diverse flora and fauna in the region but also to the water security.

Unplanned land-use such as mining and land clearing for agricultural use such as the ‘Projek Ladang Rakyat’ not only affect the quality of water resources but also its quantity. The run-offs due to land clearing brings with it heavy metals and dangerous bacteria which contaminates the river as well as cause sedimentation which affects the quantity of water.

Proper investigation on the proposed projects involving forest clearing should be carried out to identify the risks to the environment as well as the livelihood of the people. No projects should be commenced without Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) being completed and the mitigation recommendations being implemented.

Also, Air Kelantan Sdn Bhd’s (AKSB) move to increase tariffs is unreasonable since they did not address the non-revenue water (NRW) issue effectively prior to the tariff hike. Moreover, no consultations or early announcement were done before the hike.

It is irrational to revise the tariff without first improving their NRW performance. As of July, Kelantan’s NRW rate was 52 percent despite the RM130 million spent on pipe upgrading works.

FORUM AIR MALAYSIA was formed to assist the National Water Services Commission (Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Air Negara - Span) and carry out the duties as a Forum Air under the Water Services Industry Act 2006.