The current water woes that hit several areas in peninsular Malaysia, particularly the Klang Valley, have highlighted an obvious yet frequently-overlooked fact - fresh water is not an unlimited resource. It is therefore timely that Malaysians reflect on this critical precious resource as we celebrate World Water Day on March 22.

The current water crisis should serve as a reminder that it is high time we evaluate our water consumption and start managing our water responsibly. The low prices of treated water in Malaysia, unfortunately, have left this crucial commodity being utilised in a wasteful manner for far too long, even more so as the population’s quality of life continues to increase in urbanised areas.

Malaysians need to recognise that our water tariffs are heavily subsidised and do not reflect the actual cost of treating and transporting water from its source to the end user.

In the Klang Valley, the main source of water supply is from reservoirs that are naturally refilled by rain, which means the amount of rainfall received affects the water levels in the reservoirs. While we lack control over rainfall, we can and must adjust our water demand by using water only as necessary, in order to make our limited water supply last long enough for reservoirs to be refilled.

This also means fixing leaky taps, reporting burst pipes and installing water saving devices to reduce amount of water use, amongst others. Additionally, we need to keep our rivers clean as river pollution caused by indiscriminate waste disposal and industrial effluent also add  pressure to our water resources, rendering them unsuitable for public consumption.

While there is little we can do about the current lack of rainfall, there is something we can do to buffer against the severity of future dry seasons; that is to preserve our natural forests. Intact natural forests maintain moisture in the air that helps to regulate temperatures, besides contributing toward production of rainfall, hence replenishing our reservoirs.

Forests, particularly in the upstream catchment basins of many of our country's major river systems, serve vital functions. Apart from influencing rainfall, when managed well, these forests act as natural water filters which provide higher quality water with lower levels of sediments and pollutants.

Therefore, it is extremely important to closely regulate all land-use activities and afford adequate protection within these areas in order to ensure availability and quality of water downstream.

Given the above scenario, WWF-Malaysia is of the opinion that reforms are urgently needed in the management of our water resources to avoid prolonged water crisis that will not only cause adversity to the society but also cripple the country’s economy and progress.   

These include efforts to realize the implementation of Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) approach that coordinates conservation, management and development of water, land and related resources across sectors within the river basin.

Equally critical is to promote water sustainability and curb water wastage amongst consumers via revision of water-tariff structure in the respective states to better reflect the cost aspects of producing and supplying water in addition to reflecting the importance and scarcity value of this precious resource.  

DR DIONYSIUS SHARMA is executive director/CEO, WWF-Malaysia.