A minister today suggested that Malaysia emulate the rainwater harvesting and recycling systems implemented successfully in several countries, including Australia and India.

G Palanivel, the natural resources and environment minister, said Malaysia had yet to derive optimum benefit from the year-round rain the country enjoyed.

The retention, collection and reuse of rain water as well as diverting of river water into nearby ponds should be focused on to ensure that the country did not face a major water crisis in the future, he told reporters at his office in Putrajaya.

Palanivel said housing estates should also be equipped with rainwater harvesting systems to reduce the use of treated water.

Although the installation of the system would incur some cost, the returns would be high because, in the long term, the people would appreciate and conserve water, he said.

“We have to focus more on saving water, storing water and diverting river water into nearby ponds. Conserving and preserving river water is a very important policy,” he said.

- Bernama