Will the ballot box solve Selangor's water crisis?

IT WAS interesting to read the statement in "Embattled Khalid wants another go" (Off the Cuff, April 16): "Selangor voters have to decide: Do they want more disruptions to their water supply or end the prospects of a crisis once and for all?"

Can the water problem be solved at the ballot box? First, has there been any real effort to sustainably manage our water resources for the long term?

One prime example is the East Klang Valley Expressway. Local, state and federal governments are all willing to allow this highway to be built through two key water catchment areas of Taman Warisan Negeri Selangor, namely the Ampang forest and the Klang Gates Reservoir-Ulu Gombak forest.

The park was primarily set up to better protect the state's water catchment forests. Putting a highway through the park sets a precedent that water protection is not a priority to either the federal or state governments.

The first warning of an imminent water crisis for Selangor and Kuala Lumpur was put forward under the National Water Resource Study (NWRS) 2000-2050. It was anticipated that a water crisis would hit in 2007-2008.

To avert this crisis, the report proposed the construction of two major water transfer projects from Pahang to Selangor via tunnels through the Main Range. None of this infrastructure was completed by the report's initial 2007 water crisis date. The crisis was later predicted to occur in 2011. Now experts say 2014. I have my doubts about the planned water transfer as a solution. The solutions may be elsewhere.

Despite the warning, very little effort has been made to reduce our high water demand and consumption levels – the primary reasons cited for the predicted water crisis.

Since the 2000 NWRS study, no government has made any real effort to incorporate water supply alternatives, which would supplement the main water supply provided by our rivers and dams. Rainwater equipment, if it had been installed in every home and office since the crisis was first identified in 2000, could have provided the country with a secure source of emergency water. Having auxiliary rainwater tanks at each household would make communities less vulnerable to crippling water disruptions.

Who is to blame for our water woes? We all are – the local government, the state government and the federal government, as well as we the people – we waste water as if there is no tomorrow. Malaysia has ample supply of water, how embarrassing is it that we don't seem to know how to manage it properly.

Dr Rosli Omar

Associate Professor (Retired)

Universiti Malaya

-thesundaily