Give tax incentives to boost water recycling, SPAN tells govt

SPAN chairman Charles Santiago says a study shows the acceptance level of rainwater harvesting system is high in the Klang Valley, but people are only willing to spend up to RM500 to install such a system. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: The National Water Service Commission (SPAN) has called on Putrajaya to give out tax incentives for initiatives into recycling and reuse of water.

SPAN chairman Charles Santiago said the government could give tax exemptions to companies and households for the purchase of water recycling equipment and rainwater harvesting systems.

“According to a study conducted in the Klang Valley by UiTM in 2015, the acceptance level of rainwater harvesting system is high, but respondents are only willing to spend up to RM500 to install a system.

“The government needs to provide incentives or tax exemptions to encourage people to install the system,” he said, citing the RM500 annual rebate given by the Petaling Jaya City Council to green building owners.

He stressed that the finance and economic affairs ministries should start looking at formulating water conservation policies, adding that the conservation of water resources is the shared responsibility of all stakeholders.

“In the next five years, we need to have a new law, like in India, where factories can only use recycled wastewater, either from their own factories or from wastewater treatment operators.

“We encourage Indah Water Konsortium to recycle effluent water for non-potable use. In the long run, we need two systems of water supply: potable water and non-potable water systems,” he said in a speech at the Malaysian International Water Conference today.

He renewed calls for a National River Protection Authority, saying the many agencies tasked with tackling river pollution made it difficult to coordinate activities.

Santiago highlighted that microplastics, pharmaceutical products and personal care products are posing new threats to Malaysian rivers.

“A case study in Putrajaya showed that the most common pharmaceutical compounds in drinking water supply come from medicines commonly used by Malaysians, coffee and plastics,” he said.

“If we don’t deal with this, it is going to become a great threat to public health.”

He also urged for water catchment areas to be gazetted, particularly in water-stressed states like Johor, as they act as the nation’s main source of water.

“These areas will be protected by State Forestry Departments to ensure there is no encroachment. However, three states – Johor, Perak and Penang – have yet to gazette more than 56,000 hectares of water catchment areas.” - FMT