EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE WATER RESOURCES POTENTIAL TO ENSURE WATER SECURITY IN MALAYSIA - MALAYSIA INTERNATIONAL WATER CONVENTION (MIWC 2021)
Current scenarios water supply in Malaysia faces water disruption due to shortage of water resources (quantity and quality) and rapidly increasing water demand due to urbanisation and development. In addition, water scarcity has been seriously affected by climate change with more frequent dry weather and severe El Nino phenomenon in the last decade. In 2020, Selangor experienced closely to 14 water supply disruptions starting from January to December 2020. These incidents have caused approximately 1.2 million user accounts in 1,292 areas to experience unscheduled water supply disruptions. This paper will be focusing on national water security issues related to resource allocation and extreme events. In the last decade, Malaysia has been experiencing frequent dry spells and flood events which directly impacted the water resources. Inadequate water is further exacerbated by the increasing water demand due to population growth and economic activities escalation, especially in urban areas / big cities. NAHRIM has conducted a study in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (WPKL) to identify potential alternative water resources (AWR) to reduce dependency on surface raw water supply. These identified AWR showed a potential yield of 778 MLD, potentially utilised to cater to the water demand. The total water demands for 2020 and 2030 based on NWRS are 1,008 MLD and 1,035 MLD. Therefore, the potential AWR yield can cater to approximately 77% and 75% based on total water demand 2020 and 2030. AWR will be providing adequate storage by increasing productivity, improving water quality, and reducing cost treatment of raw water supply caused by pollution. It can also increase water storage reserves through the proposed solutions by building Aquifer Storage Recharge (ASR) according to hydrological and locality suitability. Apart from that, it can reduce Non- Revenue Water, NRW. ASR is one method to increase water supply using subsurface reservoirs. Groundwater replenishment or increased groundwater stored in aquifers during wet periods can improve water supply, security, and sustainability. ASR is recommended due to the limitation of vacant space to store the potential yield from the AWR in WPKL. It is designed to store surface alternative water resources in aquifers when water is abundant and extracting the water during times of need or peak demand. The relationship between the availability of alternative water resources and future consumption (demand) of water under the climatic and non-climatic impact is also considered dynamic for optimal alternative water resources for water sector security and water-related disaster reduction in Malaysia. Keywords: Water Security, Water Scarcity, Alternative Water Resources, Water Resources Sustainability
Authors
Abstract
Current scenarios water supply in Malaysia faces water disruption due to shortage of water resources (quantity and quality) and rapidly increasing water demand due to urbanisation and development. In addition, water scarcity has been seriously affected by climate change with more frequent dry weather and severe El Nino phenomenon in the last decade. In 2020, Selangor experienced closely to 14 water supply disruptions starting from January to December 2020. These incidents have caused approximately 1.2 million user accounts in 1,292 areas to experience unscheduled water supply disruptions. This paper will be focusing on national water security issues related to resource allocation and extreme events. In the last decade, Malaysia has been experiencing frequent dry spells and flood events which directly impacted the water resources. Inadequate water is further exacerbated by the increasing water demand due to population growth and economic activities escalation, especially in urban areas / big cities. NAHRIM has conducted a study in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (WPKL) to identify potential alternative water resources (AWR) to reduce dependency on surface raw water supply. These identified AWR showed a potential yield of 778 MLD, potentially utilised to cater to the water demand. The total water demands for 2020 and 2030 based on NWRS are 1,008 MLD and 1,035 MLD. Therefore, the potential AWR yield can cater to approximately 77% and 75% based on total water demand 2020 and 2030. AWR will be providing adequate storage by increasing productivity, improving water quality, and reducing cost treatment of raw water supply caused by pollution. It can also increase water storage reserves through the proposed solutions by building Aquifer Storage Recharge (ASR) according to hydrological and locality suitability. Apart from that, it can reduce Non- Revenue Water, NRW. ASR is one method to increase water supply using subsurface reservoirs. Groundwater replenishment or increased groundwater stored in aquifers during wet periods can improve water supply, security, and sustainability. ASR is recommended due to the limitation of vacant space to store the potential yield from the AWR in WPKL. It is designed to store surface alternative water resources in aquifers when water is abundant and extracting the water during times of need or peak demand. The relationship between the availability of alternative water resources and future consumption (demand) of water under the climatic and non-climatic impact is also considered dynamic for optimal alternative water resources for water sector security and water-related disaster reduction in Malaysia. Keywords: Water Security, Water Scarcity, Alternative Water Resources, Water Resources Sustainability
Citation
IR. AZMAN MAT JUSOH, IR. MARINI MOHAMAD IDERIS , HJ. ANUAR SEFIE, NATIONAL WATER RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF MALAYSIA (NAHRIM). 2021. EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE WATER RESOURCES POTENTIAL TO ENSURE WATER SECURITY IN MALAYSIA - MALAYSIA INTERNATIONAL WATER CONVENTION (MIWC 2021). Digital NAHRIM Publication Repository.