CHIEF executive officers (CEO) of water supply authorities in the country risk being replaced by the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) if they fail to reduce non-revenue water (NRW) rates from next year.
SPAN has decided to take stringent measures to prepare the nation for what the regulator sees as a water crisis unless remedial steps can be taken now, which include stricter enforcement on leakages, corruption and water theft.
Its chairman Charles Santiago said analysis by various government bodies revealed that climate change is fast becoming an emergency in the country, especially in terms of water resources.
Under SPAN’s legislation, the regulator can replace current CEOs and even outright take over management of the various water supply authorities in each state if they failed to live up to expectations.
Santiago said that SPAN can move in anytime next year to manage the respective state water authorities if there is a need for it.
He said this after attending a dialogue with various stakeholders in George Town, ahead of the proposed nationwide water tariff hike, which he assures would not be a burden on households.
“The bigger picture is that climate change and, in some cases, poor management have led to the erosion of water resources in the country,” he said.
He said there are pockets of habitat settlements, suffering from a lack of piped water throughout the country.
“There are some areas which have had no supply for years. It is not just the infrastructure but the rivers and natural catchment areas that have dried up.”
Santiago said that ahead of the tariff adjustments, all water concessionaires have agreed to work with SPAN to tighten enforcement to reduce NRW, which is becoming too costly for consumers to bear.
The national average for NRW was 37.2%, resulting in a waste of 7.084 million litres of treated water daily, with a total loss of around RM2 billion a year.
Santiago also wants the CEOs to clamp down on leakages and illegal connections resulting in water theft where consumers are not paying for the water they are using.
“We also want CEOs to go after alleged corrupt practices which may result in NRW,” Santiago said.
Climate change has made weather forecasts uncertain, and authorities cannot gauge when it will rain or the rainfall volume, hence the rise of flash floods in many parts of the country, especially in urbanised localities.
There is a need for a total buy-in from all; the private and public sectors now need to come together to help SPAN devise strategies to face the inevitable sense of permanent water disruptions, said Santiago.
He wants more emphasis given to the 3Rs of managing water resources, from using recycled water, reusing, and restricting excessive use.
“We also want wastewater to be recycled and reused in households.”
Most importantly, the federal government needs to amend the law to classify water as a national security asset where waterways, treatment plants and catchment areas are protected and secured unlike now, where access is relatively easy, he said.
Santiago said that from next year, consumers can expect better services in line with the tariff increase. – The Vibes, November 28, 2023
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