KUALA LUMPUR (July 16): Malaysia must depend less on extracting water resources from nature, while investing in new but existing “taps” such as water reclamation, said the National Water Services Commission (SPAN).

The country currently relies on surface water and storage facilities such as water supply dams, off river storage and hybrid off river augmented storage, said SPAN chairman Charles Santiago. Malaysia is also dependent on exploring groundwater availability, mainly for rural and off-grid areas, he noted.

However, “a major transformation is required in managing water because water and wastewater sectors are facing a new environment - a climate emergency”, according to the text of his keynote address at the Water Malaysia 2024 conference.

That means looking at alternative sources of water by opening up and investing in new taps such as reclaimed water, rainwater harvesting, non-revenue water reduction and zero discharge policy, he said.

The remarks come at a time when Malaysia has seen an influx of data centres over the last three years, which require massive amounts of water to cool their equipment that generates a lot of heat. Between 2021 and 2023, data centre investments approved totalled RM114.7 billion.

SPAN has been calling for an annual allocation of at least RM10 billion for the next three years crucial to boost water infrastructure amid below-cost tariffs and high wastage. For years, Malaysia has been grappling with high non-revenue water - the value of water treated but failed to reach consumers and to be billed - which requires massive investments for everything from repairing leaking pipes to replacing non-functioning meters.

Malaysia should consider water reclamation, which looks at reusing water within the industrial sector and facilitate the reduction of treated water demand, Santiago said.

The method is used widely, including in Singapore, the US, and Persian Gulf countries, he said, noting that data centres in California use reclaimed water for their cooling processes, while some of Amazon Web Services data centres use purified wastewater rather than potable water for their cooling systems.

Santiago also called for rainwater harvesting in Malaysia blessed with average annual rainfall intensity of between 2,000mm and 3,000mm. “With such an abundance of rain, rainwater harvesting must be intensified and made mandatory for big users,” he said.

Rainwater harvesting is particularly viable for industrials due to their larger rooftop catchment areas, he said, stressing the need to make rainwater harvesting mandatory for non-potable water usage within industries, similar to how it is outlined in the Uniform Building By-Laws for domestic implementation.

“Another step ahead would be to use it as boiler feed,” Santiago said. “While we mandate this for other industries, state water operators must play a role model in ensuring rainwater harvesting is established within the water and sewerage treatment plants.” 

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