Good Practices in Urban Water Management: Decoding Good Practices for a Successful Future

Abstract

ion Water Asset Management Company (PAAB) requires licensees to develop and implement, at their own costs, a water conservation program as a move to overcome the concern. The migration process under the WSIA 2006 for Selangor (and Kuala Lumpur) is not finalized. The restructuring of the water services industry in Selangor was not concluded by 2011. The State Government of Selangor is negotiating to purchase the water assets from the concessionaires in the state (Yeow 2009). The fiasco has also delayed the plan to transfer raw water from the neighboring state of Pahang to Selangor. Supply Management Water Resources The supply of water to consumers in Kuala Lumpur began in 1896 under the Public Works Department (PWD). The first public water supply scheme was established in Gombak, Selangor.54 Further expansion continued in 1906 and 1928, all in Gombak. Water supply to Selan- gor and Kuala Lumpur was subsequently decentralized to the Selangor Water Supply Department or Jabatan Bekalan Air Selangor (JBAS) in 1972. 54 See Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn. Bhd. at www.syabas.com.my Chapter V Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 87 Selangor has seven major rivers and/or river basin sys- tems and six impounded reservoirs, which supply water to Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn. Bhd.’s (SYABAS) entire service area of Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and Putrajaya. A water scheme was developed in three stages at Sungai Selangor to meet long-term demand although water shortages could continue to occur. Total water treatment capacity per day in the service area rose from 3.43 million cubic meters (mcm) in 2000 to 4.48 mcm in 2005. Total water production per day was 86.8% of the treatment plant capacity in 2008 (Table 1). There is a possibility that a new treat- ment plant would be built once the interstate raw water transfer from Pahang to Selangor is completed. Per capita production was in the range of 0.58–0.59 cubic meters (m3) per day during 2005–2008. SYABAS buys treated water from the three water treatment operators in Selangor. Of this, it receives 672,000 m3 of treated water a day from the treatment plants to supply to Kuala Lumpur and part of Petaling, Klang, and Gombak. On average, this is equivalent to 0.42 m3 per capita per day. Production from the water treatment plants is metered. Monthly joint meter read- ings are monitored with the plant treatment operators to avoid disputes. For better management control, the volumes of water that enter and exit reservoirs are also metered. Water Quality and Water Service Reliability Water quality in Malaysia is set to meet the National Standard for Drinking Water Quality of the Ministry of Health (MOH), which adheres to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. MOH carries out sur- veillance on water quality at treatment plants and dis- tribution systems. Private water treatment plants are subject to stringent controls over quality monitoring, air scouring of reticulation mains, and cleaning of res- ervoirs. They undertake sampling at points along the pipes and at meter points as a precautionary measure. On the distribution side, SYABAS carries out monitoring and continuous improvement works on the distribution system, replaces old pipes, cleans its reservoirs, and installs computerized systems to check on dead ends that need immediate action.55 The entire Kuala Lumpur has access to piped water, available around the clock, 365 days a year. Tankers are only used when there is an unscheduled major disruption to water supply for more than 24 hours. The total length of the water supply network in Kuala Lumpur has risen since 2005, reaching 2,326 kilo- meters (km) in 2008. This represented 9.9% of the total network under SYABAS management (Figure 4). Water pipes in Kuala Lumpur are old; some are at least 35 years old. This explains the large number of recorded water pipe breaks. The aging pipes also caused leaks that, in 2008, numbered 497 per 100 km of potable water pipeline. Water metering is mandatory for all consumer connec- tions. All residential, commercial, and industrial prem- ises in Kuala Lumpur are served by direct individual tap connections or bulk connections in high-rise build- ings. For bulk connections, the building management charges fees based on bulk meter readings and the floor space occupied by each unit. The number of con- nections in Kuala Lumpur rose from 170,344 in 2005 to 175,751 in 2008 (Table 2). Table 1 Total Water Treatment Plant Capacity and Production, 2000–2008 200