Everyone entitled to equal access to water, says SPAN chairman

 

Each Malaysian consumes an average of 230 litres of water per day, a figure SPAN chairman Charles Santiago called “alarming”. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: National Water Services Commission (SPAN) wants to ensure that everyone in the country has equal access to water resources.

SPAN chairman Charles Santiago said the government is now actively addressing problems faced in several states, including Kelantan, following a large budget allocation announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

“It (the funds) must be used prudently,” he said on Kerusi Panas, FMT’s new talk show hosted by Wan Agyl Wan Hassan.

When tabling Budget 2024 in October last year, Anwar announced an allocation of RM1.1 billion to resolve water supply issues in Kelantan, Sabah and Labuan.

Wan Agyl Wan Hassan.

Santiago expressed regret that genuine efforts on the part of the government to improve the water supply ecosystem in these states, especially Kelantan, have been unnecessarily politicised by various parties.

“In my view, we ought not to politicise this issue as water is basic human right,” he said.

Santiago said the funds have been earmarked for the construction of a treatment plant in Machang, Kelantan with an output of 250 million litres of water per day.

It will also be used to upgrade infrastructure and equipment in Kota Kinabalu to increase the capacity of its existing water treatment plant and overcome some of the issues affecting its supply in the state.

He said efforts are underway to overhaul the existing water infrastructure in Labuan, including through the replacement of obsolete pipes and an overhaul of the existing water infrastructure.

Charles Santiago told Kerusi Panas host Wan Agyl Wan Hassan that there was a need to prioritise the nation’s water resource ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Santiago said priority must also be given to safeguarding the ecosystem as several countries in Southeast Asia are encountering raw water shortage issues.

Describing it as a warning, he said emphasis should be placed not only on improving facilities but in changing the mentality of consumers to ensure that they use the resource prudently.

“Imagine how much water is consumed if half of the 1.5 million vehicles are washed every day,” he said.

Each Malaysian consumes an average of 230 litres of water per day, a figure Santiago described as “alarming”. - FMT