PETALING JAYA: In its efforts to tackle the problem of water loss, the Government has set up a task force that targets to reduce non-revenue water (NRW) from 36% of total amount of water produced currently to 25% by 2020.
“The recently formed task force will monitor the status and progress of NRW management efforts under a management action plan,'' an industry player told StarBizWeek, adding that strategies and best practices of NRW management internationally were also being studied.
NRW is the difference between the amount of water put into the distribution system and the amount of water billed to consumers.
By 2010, NRW in the country, including Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan, had climbed to 35.19% out of 5.13 million cubic metres of water produced.
The task force, which was set up by the National Water Services Commission or SPAN, comprises the CEO of SPAN, Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry officials, National Audit Department, national water asset management company PAAB, two non-governmental organisations and water operators.
With its secretariat at SPAN, the task force aims to start operations soon and review the results of its work every once in three months.
With demand for water projected to increase 3.5% every year, the amount of water produced is not enough to cater to this growing demand.
Plans for two phases of mitigation projects to ensure uninterrupted supply of water have been announced but the area of NRW will now also receive a much greater emphasis with the formation of the task force as it would complement all other efforts in facing any potential water crisis in the country.
“The formation of the taskforce is a crucial step to address the problem of NRW which can spiral out of control if not addressed holistically,'' said an analyst.
Consultants and local contractors also provide input to the task force.
Malaysia has old asbestos cement (AC) water pipes dating back 20 to 40 years; this comprises 41,874 kilometres mainly made up of AC pipes representing 32% of pipes in the country.
Analyses over the past few years indicate that the weaknesses in NRW can be due to, among others, the lack of a holistic NRW control plan, insufficient number of competent personnel, unsystematic implementation of water supply system as well as negative attitude and perception of certain parties.
To ensure that the national NRW average rate of 25% can be achieved by 2020, several policies have been set up, including, among others, the management of NRW in a holisitc manner, the provision of NRW investments and returns, the development of an organisational framework to support NRW management efforts and putting in place an effective monitoring mechanism for NRW reduction efforts.
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