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20 Simple Steps to Help Save Water
The Role of Women in Water Conservation
Millennium Forum Report at the United Nations, 22-26 May 2000
WATER RECYCLING
The increasing incidence of water stress and water crises over the last few years have made “Water Recycling” a hot issue. Penang has very few water catchments and it draws 80 % of its water needs from the Sungai Muda which has its origins in Kedah. The 1997/98 El Nino laid bare the fact that water will be a major issue for Penang in the 21st Century. With the ever increasing demand for water placing a potentially undeliverable demand on the available resources, the time has come for all to play a part in water conservation. WWP is formed to educate and promote the “Wise Use of water”. WWP promotes a new ethos within society which should now see water as a limited resource in a similar way to gas or electricity, rather than as an unlimited one. The days of an unlimited supply of potable water are over, making way for water recycling and the concept of dividing water needs into potable and non-potable uses. An area of particular relevance is within the domestic environment where currently all water usage is of a potable standard. Actual water consumption that requires water of a potable standard is of a few percent of the total, typically 4-5%.
The potential for the remaining water to be generated through recycling within the house is extensive. The limiting factor in any such application is based on the quality and quantities of the various waste generated within the house. One basic division is made with water from the WC being separated from the rest, this being refereed to as black water. The remaining waters are generically referred to as greywaters, excluding water from the kitchen sink and washing machine due to the grease and high chemical loads these produce.
The level of treatment required varies considerably and is ultimately determined by the criteria that are established for each application. No criteria currently exist within the UK, although the Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA) have recently released some guidelines which may in the future become the basis of the water reuse standards adopted in this country. In terms of non potable reuse opportunities, which are referred to as a medium level risk, the guidelines suggest the total removal of faecal coliforms as the only criteria for reuse. Standards such as these can be effectively achieved by simple filtration followed by disinfection processes, offering a relatively simple treatment scheme. If, however, more stringent guides are adopted which follow the example of America, where no odours or colour are permitted, more extensive treatment would be required. The current thrust within the UK is towards the reuse of greywater to flush toilets. This is an attractive proposition as the quantities of greywater produced roughly match the volumes required to flush the toilet. This negates the use of stored rainwater which has been adopted in other countries, reducing the need for large storage volumes, which are required to cancel the effects of intermittent rain fall. Economic assessment of the units currently limits their application to large dwelling such as hotels and colleges to ensure the payback periods are sufficiently short. A number of commercial units are available based on this idea-all use standard filtration devices with disinfection , usually via chlorine blocks. Early indications are that such units may provide a adequate level of treatment for the application of toilet flushing, saving roughly 30% of water supply requirements to a domestic house.
20 SIMPLE STEPS TO HELP CONSERVE WATER
1. Shower :
Cut down the number of showers. If possible, shower only once a day after work. Switch off shower when soaping and shampooing. Do not over-use soap or shampoo as this will need more water for rinsing. Use “organic-based” soap and shampoo. They are less “soapy” and less water is needed to rinse them off. Do not switch the shower on full blast. Cut short your shower time.
2. Brushing teeth:
Use a cup of water for brushing your teeth. Never let the tap run while you are brushing.
3. Washing face:
Use a wet towel instead of a running tap.
4. Hair style:
Short hair definitely requires less water to wash and clean. So why not do your bit to save water? After all, many have shaved their heads bald when some football team won.
5. Toilet use:
Use the squatting toilet for short calls. Pour used water (from washing hands or vegetables) into toilet instead of flushing. For those without the squatting toilet, install a “dual flush” mechanism to your flush system. This system is available in the market. Compared to the conventional flush which uses 10 litres per flush, the dual-flush method uses only 6 litres for a full flush and 3 litres for a half-flush. Based on this system, a person can save at least 50 litres per day (The Sun, 30 May 1998).
A simple way of reducing the amount of water flushed would be to put a brick or two into your WC cistern. This way, the water flushed is automatically “halved”. If you need a full flush (in the case of defaecating), then just remove the bricks temporarily.
6. Washing car:
Reduce car washes. If possible, stop washing your car. If you really need to (for those who really love their cars), use a bucket and a cloth. Never use a hose.
7. Recycling - Collect used water for other uses:
Collect used water by putting a bucket beneath tap. Water used for washing hands, vegetables and rinsing dishes can be used again for watering plants or for flushing the toilet.
8. Rainwater harvesting:
Collect rain water (if it rains) and use it for washing the car, the floor or for watering plants. In many remote kampongs and villages, rainwater harvesting from rooftops is a viable and practical method of trapping water.
9. Collecting water from upstairs:
People living in houses/apartments with more than one story can ask the plumber to do a minor connection to collect used water from showering and washing hands to be re-used for watering plants or washing the car or floors.
10. Stay home more:
Reduce going out, especially during the day when it is hot. You will need to drink less water, wash less clothes and take fewer showers. In fact, it also helps save money and this will help the country’s economy as well.
11. Watering plants:
Use recycled water. Never use the garden host. Use a water bucket instead. Water sparingly. Put a plate under each flower pot to retain water from leaking out of the pots.
12. Cleaning floors:
Never use a hose or pour water over the floor for washing. Always use a mop. Use a “no-rinse” washing liquid. Sweep the floor more often. This way, it clears dust fast and stops it from accumulating.
13. Cooking:
Try not to do too much deep frying or the cooking of oily food. The cleaning and washing up of pots and pans, as well as the walls and floors after oily cooking can waste a lot of water, not forgetting the hard work. Instead, prepare more fresh food (e.g. salad and fruits) and cook more steamed food., all of which are healthier for the body. Water used for washing vegetables can also be recycled for other uses.
14. Clothing:
Try to wear cotton clothes that are not too thick or woolly. For those working in air-conditioned places, clothes can be worn twice before they are washed. However, be careful not to carry it to the extreme until hygiene is sacrificed.
15. Washing clothes:
Wait until a full load is accumulated before washing. Use environmentally friendly washing powder. They are less soapy and are not harmful to the environment. In fact, one can collect the effluent water from such washing powder for re-use (washing cars, watering plants. washing shoes etc.). For handwashing, use water sparingly.
16. Sports:
Reduce indulging in sweaty sports that require changing a lot of clothes. For example, some sports like squash and badminton require the change of many T-shirts during one single session. Imagine coming home with all those sweaty clothes when your mother/wife has no water to wash them! Choose something like swimming or running. For all sports, use only one T-shirt.
17. River water:
Those living within the vicinity of a river should attempt to use the river water for washing purposes but not as drinking water. In the remote areas, rivers are the common bath and laundret for all. However, a word of caution here: check out the quality of the river water first. If you are not sure, check with the Department of Environment.
18. Springs:
Those living within the vicinity of hills should attempt to locate springs from which water can be collected. Spring water can even be used for drinking (after filtration and boiling) as well as for general washing purposes. In the remote areas and islands (such as Perhentian and Redang), springs are important water sources. However, to be sure that the water is okay, check with the Department of Environment first.
19. Wells:
Wells are important water sources in the rural areas. Those living in low-lying areas (where the water table is shallow) with a large house compound can dig and construct wells. Well water can then be used for general washing but not for drinking. Built nicely to blend in with the surrounding environment, a well can be aesthetically pleasing and add character to a house. However, check with the town council/local authority concerned before you dig a well.
20. Report leakage, damage and water thefts immediately:
Report leakage of all pipes and mains. Don’t wait for others to do the job or hoping/thinking that others have done it. Report all suspected water thefts to the relevant authorities. You may even get a reward for it.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANT MORE INFORMATION ON WATER WATCH PENANG, PLEASE CONTACT US AT:
WATER WATCH PENANG
10, Jalan Brown, 10350 Penang.
Tel: 04-228 3306 Fax: 04-226 7042
Website: http://surf.to/waterwatchpenang
WWP Membership is open to any Malaysian Citizen who is aged twenty-one (21) years and above.
THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN WATER CONSERVATION IN PENANG
By
Dr Chan Ngai Weng
President
Water Watch Penang (WWP)
email: nwchan@usm.my
Water, or the lack of it has become an important issue in recent years. The El Nino in 1997/98 laid bare the fragility of our water resources. People in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and many parts of Selangor, Balik Pulau in Penang, Melaka and Negri Sembilan have been exposed to hardships they never would have imagined (Photograph 1). Some had gone for weeks and months with little water. Such was the severity of the water crisis that at its peak, many would have paid a fortune just to get enough of that precious liquid. Gone are the days when water was abundant and no one had to conserve this vital resource. Increasingly, as water becomes scarce due to destruction of forests and water catchments, pollution from agriculture and industry, increasing demand, high non-revenue water or NRW (i.e. treated water piped through treatment plants that are lost through leakage, theft, public usage such as fire fighting and public toilets and other unaccounted ways), and severe weather conditions (such as El Nino), water would become an increasingly important factor in the lives of many.
The water level of the Air Itam dam in Penang dropped to a critically low level during the height of the El Nino by April 1998.
Penang is a small State with poor water resources. Hence, water would most likely determine whether Penang will gallop or saunter along in its future development. The signs are not good. Currently, over 80 % of Penang’s water demand is drawn from the Muda River which has its origins in Kedah State. Furthermore, only 1 % of the water catchments where our waters come from are in Penang. The rest of the 99 % are outside Penang State, viz. in Kedah. Despite such a scenario, our water catchments are increasingly being destroyed, both by legal activities (mostly housing schemes) as well as by illegal developments (mostly illegal farming and squatting). To exacerbate the situation, water polluting activities are rampant. Hence, to say that Penang’s water security is precarious is an under-statement! Yet, despite the existence of laws and enforcement, it may not be enough to guarantee adequate water for all in the future. The State and its agencies may have their plans to increase water supply. The new Teluk Bahang Dam is about to be operational by the year 2000, and there are other water treatment plants in the pipeline. But these schemes are not enough to guarantee adequate water supply beyond 2010. Hence, there is an urgent need for the public to play a more active role in helping to conserve water resources, viz. to reduce water demand. This is where the role of women becomes vitally important.
Currently, domestic water users in Penang consumes about 58.5 % of the total water demand of 697 million litres per day (MLD). This is contributed by the Sg Muda (450 MLD), Sg Kulim (112.5 MLD), Air Itam Dam (45.4 MLD) and other minor catchment areas (89.1 MLD). Domestic consumers, therefore use about 408 MLD in Penang. Because of this huge volume, any reduction in consumption can save the State a lot of water. This is where women can play a vital role as they are the “managers” (albeit unpaid ones) at home. Women are usually the ones who manage the family’s water budget. There are numerous reasons why women are vitally important in water conservation:
(i) In many rural areas, women are the ones who have to fetch water from wells or rivers. Here, they act as the primary means of making water available in the family.
(ii) Women have to wash the clothes of the whole family. Here, they can conserve water by using environmentally-friendly detergents (which uses less water and are less harmful to ground water), start a wash only when there is a full load, and ensure that badly soiled clothes get a rinse before being washed. All these help to save water.
(iii) Of course, women do most, if not all the cooking. This is one area where the family can save substantial amount of water. The chef can choose to cook less oily dishes (such as steaming or uncooked salad) which in the long run are healthier than oily dishes. The latter uses less water both for the cooking as well as for the washing up of pots and pans and crockery.
(iv) Women also bathe the children and should instill the need to save water amongst the young. They should never let children play with water during the baths as this would send the wrong message to kids, viz. that water can be wasted.
(v) Mothers can mould their children into responsible water saving adults by starting them young. They can take their children for outings to rivers instead of to supermarkets or shopping complexes. They can lead the children in "River Walk" along the banks of rivers such as the Sg Air Terjun inside the Botanical Gardens. Mothers can request help from WWP experts who will brief the children on the importance of water conservation and hence the need to keep rivers clean. The children can then be treated to some basic water monitoring exercises whereby they would go into the shallow river to conduct themselves. The kids as well as their mothers would enjoy this exercise tremendously as it gives them the chance to get into the river and do something. Mothers play a vitally important role in moulding their children into responsible water saving adults by starting them young. Here, both mother and children are enjoying a river education programme run by WWP on 24th Jnuary 1999 in the Sg Air Pantai Kerachut in the Pantai Acheh Forest Reserve.
(vi) Many women are school teachers and this is an area where water education becomes important. Women teachers can teach students to conserve water the way they teach their own children. In many developed countries, schools have “River Watch” programmes whereby school children monitor the “health” of an adopted river (usually one that is adjacent to their school). This way, they can report any major changes in water quality of rivers due to dumping of toxic materials, rubbish, oil spill or otherwise. In Penang, one of WWP’s activities is the continuous education programme to instill awareness and love for our rivers. The objective is to get one school to adopt a river or part/section of a river and monitor the "Health" of the river via simple indicators such as the physical characteristics (velocity and discharge, cross-section area of river channel, temperature, colour, turbidity, presence of rubbish, smell/odour, flowing or stagnant water), the biological characteristics (presence of aquatic weeds, fish, and other aquatic wildlife) and the chemical characteristics (pH, Dissolved Oxygen and Conductivity). Because participants actually get into the river to perform various tasks, they really enjoyed themselves. Hence there is tremendous potential for women teachers to take advantage of this interesting water education activity. Children are bored sitting in the classroom all the time. They need to get out into the field to learn about nature/rivers the way they are. WWP conducts these activities from time to time, depending on requests. Teachers can contact WWP if they are interested. It is WWP’s objective to get as many schools involved as possible.
15 May 1999: School children enjoying themselves in the Sg Air Terjun inside the Botanical Gardens in one of WWP’s river monitoring activities.
(vi) Women control the water budget in the house as they are engaged in watering of plants/vegetables (and even wash cars, though admittedly the men are the ones usually doing this and they tend to waste a lot of water by using the hose), wash floors and toilets, and other chores needing water. Hence, women can either save or waste water. But by virtue of their frugality and carefulness, women tend to save water rather than waste it.
There may be many other areas in which women can play an important role in water saving. Since the Government is now preaching the use of Water Demand Management (WDM) to complement Water Supply Management (WSM) which has been largely employed by Government so far, WDM in the household will determine whether WDM succeeds or fails. This is because more than half the water demand is from domestic households. Hence, the family unit holds the key to WDM. Each litre of water saved may seem insignificant but it counts towards sustainable management of this precious resource. Picture the following scenarios:
Scenario 1: If every person in Penang can reduce his/her consumption of water by a mere 10 % of his/her daily needs, the State could save about 41 million litres per day (MLD). This amounts to about 1230 million litres per month (MLM) or 14,965 million litres per year (MLY).
Scenario 2: If every person in Penang can reduce his/her consumption of water by a mere 20 % of his/her daily needs, the State could save about 82 MLD. This amounts to about 2460 MLM or 29,930 MLY.
Scenario 3: If every person in Penang can reduce his/her consumption of water by a mere 50 % of his/her daily needs, the State could save about 204 MLD. This amounts to about 6120 MLM or 74,460 MLY.
These three scenarios are taken for slight water stress (Scenario 1), moderate water stress (Scenario 2) and severe water stress (Scenario 3). It is not impossible for a person to reduce his/her water consumption by 10 to 20 %, although arguably reducing it by 50 % would be too drastic and may lead to health and other ill effects. One cannot reduce the amount of drinking water a person needs (about 7 glasses per day) but one can certainly reduce the number of times one takes a shower, waters the plants, washes the car, mobs the floor or changes the water in the aquarium. WWP has recommended 20 water saving tips and all these are mostly/usually carried by women, hence underlining their importance to water conservation.
MEETING CURRENT WATER CHALLENGES: RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL
By
Dr Chan Ngai Weng
President
WATER WATCH PENANG
The importance of water to life cannot be stressed often enough. Yet, it is the single most abused and ill-treated resource the world over. It has been widely mismanaged, depleted, wasted, polluted and changed beyond what is clearly recognisable as water. Unlike in the not too distant past when water was plentiful and populations scarce, water is now becoming a rare commodity in many parts of the world. It is often the source of quarrels among neighbours, disputes among sovereign states, confrontation among countries and even war among larger groups. Indeed, one of the critical issues of the United Nations when reviewing the implementation of the Agenda 21 (or the lack of it) is the fast approaching crisis in freshwater resources which is expected to hit many countries at the beginning of the next millennium. The 1992 Earth Summit in Rio clearly recognised the importance of freshwater resources as one of the critical resources under threat from environmental degradation. Despite this recognition, and the promise made by all countries concerned under Agenda 21, the situation of freshwater resources has not improved. If anything, it has even deteriorated. The World Water Council has pointed out that the demand for freshwater resources doubles every 20 years or so. Thus, while in 1950 the council estimated that only 12 countries with a total of 20 million people suffered water shortages, this figure has increased more than two folds to afflict 26 countries in 1990 with the affected population increasing to more than 15 folds at 300 million. The council has projected that by 2050, 65 countries will be hit by water supply problems with a total of seven billion people or 60 % of the world's population affected. This is alarming indeed considering the fact that water is a basic necessity in life. The question, therefore, is not "What have we done". Neither is it "What can we do" but "What must be done".
To confirm the grave water situation we are facing and will face in the coming millennium, the United nation's Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) has estimated that over 8 % of the current world's population now live in countries that are highly water stressed, another 25 % in countries with moderate to high water stress. The CSD has even warned that if current trends in water use continue, two-thirds of the world's population could soon be living in countries with moderate to high water stress by the year 2050. Thus, my dear colleagues, there is no longer any doubt that the issue of water is an impending threat. It is real, happening even now while we are discussing it, and will happen in the future if humankind does not take drastic measures to improve water management, reduce wastage, increase sustainable use and stop water pollution and other means which have significantly reduced the quantity and quality of the world's freshwater resources.
Malaysia is one of those fortunate countries in which water resources are abundant. The country's proximity to the Equator has given rise to a hot, wet humid equatorial climate regime in which heavy year round rainfall averaging more than 2,000 mm is received annually. In the wetter areas such as the east coast of the peninsula, an average annual rainfall of 5,000 mm is not uncommon. Significantly, under normal climatic trends, rain falls almost the entire year in all parts of the country and no single month is ever completely dry. As a result of the high rainfall all year round there are more than 150 river systems which are the country's major sources of water supply as there are few large lakes or underground aquifers. Surface runoff constitutes 556 bcm or 56 per cent of the annual total rainfall, which is estimated at 990 billion cubic metres (bcm) (1 bcm = 1 million Megalitres), while total groundwater is about 64 bcm or only 6 per cent of total rainfall (the remaining 370 bcm or 38 per cent of total rainfall is lost through evapo-transpiration). Hence, lucky Malaysians enjoy a per capita renewable water of more than 20,000 cubic meters per year, as compared to some poor middle eastern water starved people with per capita renewable water of less than 1,000 cubic metres per year. That means one person in Malaysia has access to more than 20 times the water available to someone in Yemen!
Against this wet climatic background, the water security situation appears sound. But what appears sound may not be so against the background of years of mismanagement and neglect. Our water security situation may actually be far from being infallible. Hence, water stress and other water hazards such as floods, droughts, water pollution , water borne diseases and water supply shortages have occurred regularly in many parts of the country in recent years. These unsavoury events are in fact increasing in frequency and severity as manifested by the current water crisis afflicting many States in the country. The current water crisis which has crippled many aspects of life (so often taken for granted) is testimony enough to the fact that we are not managing this vital resource to the best of our ability. If anything, we in Malaysia have been guilty of bad management, wastage and negligence. While the authorities in charge will have to bear the bulk of the responsibility for the current deplorable state of affairs, an apathetic general public will also have to take part of the blame.
However, pointing fingers will serve no purpose, even though it is a common habit amongst Malaysians. Almost everyone blames the El Nino, but this is actually a very poor excuse. Hence, while it has been raining for the past month or so (according to the Meteorological Department), the dams have not registered any significant increase in water levels. This means the catchment areas are not retaining the water, the likely reason being that catchments are damaged (either partially or more) due to mismanagement. With the kind of rainfall pattern and distribution in Malaysia, not even the greatest of all El Ninos will have more than a mere side effect on the water security situation in the country, i.e. had those responsible done a fairly good job on managing our water resources. On the other hand, putting the blame squarely on those responsible would also be useless, given the fact that those in high places often get away scot-free (no big shots were punished for the Durian Tunggal episode in Melaka in 1991, neither was anyone implicated for the February 23 1998 incident which spilled 2,700 litres of diesel into a raw water canal at the PWA pump station in Lahar Tiang, Sungai Dua, Penang or the ammonia pollution of the Langat River in March 1998). Even under the current most stressful and difficult water rationing period in Selangor, which has affected hundreds of thousands, no one was blamed let alone prosecuted barring old scapegoat El Nino. Hence, the legendary tolerance of the Malaysian public to bungling parties who just can’t deliver.
The Malaysian public must surely do something now that those responsible are losing the battle to conserve as well as supply enough water to all. One must always understand that there are two sides to a coin. Unfortunately, those supplying water can only understand one side of the coin. They keep trying to increase water while making little or no attempt to conserve it (or at least educate the public to conserve water until it is too late like during the current crisis). Hence, notwithstanding what the authorities and the private water companies have done or are still doing to alleviate water woes (including trying out some really outlandish methods supposedly capable of moving clouds and making rains), the Malaysian public must not “wait and see” but take immediate action. Certainly, the public has had enough as they are the ones experiencing the agony and stress of water rationing. Waiting for those bungling parties to do their job would be an exercise in futility. How far can the public trust the authorities when it has taken them 15 years just to form the National Water Resources Council (the idea was first mooted way back in 1983)? Even when the council is formed (the Cabinet has approved it as of 29 April 1998), we have no idea how successful it will be. In all fairness, the resistance of some water-rich States (to safeguard their own resources) and powerful economic interests are partly to be blamed and are still anticipated to be problematic for this council. Likewise, privatised water companies are a new phenomenon in their infancy. Hence, neither can the public wait for these water companies to do their part for the records show that many have failed miserably, although some in water-rich States, appear to be doing a fairly good job. The public must do their part now, wake up from their slumber and make crucial and telling sacrifices.
Citizen action must not be underestimated or brushed aside as unimportant. While the rakyat cannot offer all solutions to the current water woes nor employ high-tech ways of increasing the water supply, all of which may have all been tried out by the relevant authorities (incidentally, going into the ground for groundwater will have severe repercussions as emptied water aquifers will often sink and affect the land above them), their combined action can be a telling difference between success and failure. Citizens can significantly help reduce demand by using less and conserving water. This will put less demand and pressure on the dams. Hitherto apathetic Malaysians must now be responsible, not just to themselves but to the country and embark on a journey of water saving. For a start, all families must reduce their water use by 50 %. This is not crazy but entirely possible because other than drinking water, the rest can be reduced, one way or another. Here are some ways on how to do it:
1 Shower :
Shower only once a day, after coming home from work. Switch off shower when soaping and shampooing. Do not over-use soap or shampoo as this will need more water for rinsing. Do not switch the shower on full blast. Cut short your shower time (I am tempted to use one of my friends’ suggestion for the family to take showers together but this is impractical and may in fact lead to water wastage, knowing how playful some people can get).
2 Brushing teeth:
Use a cup of water for brushing your teeth. Never let the tap run while you are brushing.
3 Washing face:
Use a wet towel instead of a running tap.
4 Hair style:
Ladies, I think it is time for a change of hairstyle. Those with long hair should cut it short. This will help reduce water usage when shampooing. There is no need to emulate Sinead O’Connor. Something short and simple would suffice. As for guys with long hair, they should have had it cut a long time ago. Now is as good a time as any.
5 Short calls to the toilet:
Use the squatting toilet for short calls. Pour used water (from washing hands or vegetables) into toilet instead of flushing. For those without the squatting toilet, pour the used water into toilet bowl (or install a “half flush” mechanism to your flush system).
6 Washing car:
Reduce car washes. If possible, stop washing your car. If you really need to (for those who really love their cars), use a bucket and a cloth. Never use a hose. Remember, your neighbours are likely to have read this article and may report you to the authorities for wasting water!
7 Recycling - Collect used water for other uses:
Collect used water by putting a bucket beneath tap. Water used for washing hands, vegetables and rinsing dishes can be used again for watering plants or for flushing the toilet.
8 Rainwater harvesting:
Collect rain water (if it rains) and use it for washing the car, the floor or for watering plants. In many remote kampongs and villages, rainwater harvesting from rooftops is a viable and practical method of trapping water.
9 Collecting water from upstairs:
People living in houses/apartments with more than one story can ask the plumber to do a minor connection to collect used water from showering and washing hands to be re-used for watering plants or washing the car or floors.
10 Stay home more:
Reduce going out, especially during the day when it is hot. You will need to drink less water, wash less clothes and take fewer showers. In fact, it also helps save money and this will help the country’s economy as well.
11 Watering plants:
Use recycled water. Never use the garden host. Use a water bucket instead. Water sparingly. Put a plate under each flower pot to retain water from leaking out of the pots.
12 Cleaning floors:
Never use a hose or pour water over the floor for washing. Always use a mop. Use a “no-rinse” washing liquid. Sweep the floor more often. This way, it clears dust fast and stops it from accumulating.
13 Cooking:
Try not to do too much deep frying or the cooking of oily food. The cleaning and washing up of pots and pans, as well as the walls and floors after oily cooking can waste a lot of water, not forgetting the hard work. Instead, prepare more fresh food (e.g. salad and fruits) and cook more steamed food. Water used for washing vegetables can be recycled.
14 Clothing:
Try to wear cotton clothes that are not too thick or woolly. For those working in air-conditioned places, clothes can be worn twice before they are washed. However, be careful not to carry it to the extreme until hygiene is sacrificed.
15 Washing clothes:
Wait until you have a full load before washing. Use environmentally friendly washing powder. They are less soapy and are not harmful to the environment. In fact, one can collect the effluent water from such washing powder for re-use (washing cars, watering plants. washing shoes etc.). For handwashing, use water sparingly.
16 Sports:
Reduce indulging in sweaty sports that require changing a lot of clothes. For example, some sports like squash and badminton require the change of many T-shirts during one single session. Imagine coming home with all those sweaty clothes when your mother/wife has no water to wash them! Choose something like swimming or running. For all sports, use only one T-shirt.
17 River water:
Those living within the vicinity of a river should attempt to use the river water for washing purposes but not as drinking water. In the remote areas, rivers are the common bath and laundry for all. However, a word of caution here: check out the quality of the river water first. If you are not sure, check with the Department of Environment.
18 Springs:
Those living within the vicinity of hills should attempt to locate springs from which water can be collected. Spring water can even be used for drinking (after filtration and boiling) as well as for general washing purposes. In the remote areas and islands (such as Perhentian and Redang), springs are important water sources. However, to be sure that the water is okay, check with the Department of Environment first.
19 Wells:
Wells are important water sources in the rural areas. There is no reason why people in urban areas cannot have wells as well. Those living in low-lying areas (where the water table is shallow) with a large house compound can dig and construct wells. Well water can then be used for general washing but not for drinking. Built nicely to blend in with the surrounding environment, a well can be aesthetically pleasing and add character to a house.
20 Report leakage and damage to water mains and other pipes immediately:
Report leakage of all pipes and mains. Don’t wait for others to do the job or hoping/thinking that others have done it.
21 Report water thefts immediately:
If you see or suspect illegal connections to the water mains, or any other kind of suspicious water stealing activities, don’t hesitate to report them immediately to the relevant authorities. If you don’t have the water authority’s number, call the police. 999, it’s a s simple as that. I’m sure they will help you. Remember, such thefts will ultimately affect you. Whatever water is stolen means less for the public. Who knows, you might even get a reward for exposing a big thief. In any case, it is your duty as a citizen to do so.
Finally, it must be pointed out that the water situation in the country is not going to get any better in the years to come. If current trends persist (assuming a business as usual scenario for all involved parties), then in all certainty, the water situation will deteriorate. Water stress and other water related problems will most probably exacerbate into full blown national disasters, the scale of which we have never seen before. This is because, as population grows, urbanisation increases, rural-urban and international migration (including the entry of illegal immigrants) intensifies (already happening as Indonesia and Thailand grapple with mounting unemployment and famine) coupled with worsening climatic elements such as reduced rainfall, deforestation, destruction of water catchments, soil erosion, sedimentation, downstream flooding and water pollution, water resources will become more and more depleted and hence its availability will decrease. Are we ready to face such a situation? More importantly, are we going to let those bungling parties decide our fate and our lives? Are we going to sit still and wait for more tragedies to happen before we voice our concern? I guess we all know what we want, but the vital question is “How much are we willing to sacrifice for the health of the nation?”. The Commonwealth Games, which will show the entire world what Malaysia is capable of, is just around the corner. Lets make this important event a success! Don’t procrastinate anymore. Get out of that apathetic mindset and do your part to save and conserve water before whatever remaining in the dams dry up.
THE CURRENT WATER CRISIS: WHAT WENT WRONG?
By
Dr Chan Ngai Weng
Introduction
Water is life. There is no life without water. Everybody knows this. Water is the single most important element that sustains all life forms on earth. We need water to sustain ourselves and for a variety of other reasons. Even our bodies are largely made up of water. Historically, it is water that determines the rise and fall of human civilisations. Now, this fact is even more so as the limits of any society depends on water. In the future, whether or not humans will be able to colonise the moon and other planets depends to a large degree on whether or not there is life-giving water on them. Yet, the importance of water to life cannot be stressed often enough. Time and again, humans pay scant regard to this vital resource, as manifested by reckless neglect, mismanagement and even abuse. It is baffling how humans continue to destroy water catchments and pollute water sources in their obsessive quest for “progress”. Humans tend to possess this eternal tendency for self destruction. It is widely predicted by the scientific community that if humankind continues along the current path of global environmental destruction, we will ultimately also end in self destruction. When all the water has disappeared or are too polluted to be consumed, all our progress and material wealth will count for nothing. So why are we looking at far away stars and galaxies? Are we so nonchalant (about things on earth) as to focus our eyes beyond the stars when we cannot even manage to sustain the resources we have on our planet? Humans should instead look at what they have on earth, especially water, and take all necessary actions to conserve and protect it.
Unlike in the not too distant past where water was plentiful and populations (humans and others) scarce, water is now becoming a scarce commodity in many parts of the world. It is often the source of quarrels among neighbours, disputes among sovereign states, confrontation among countries and even war among larger groups. Indeed, one of the critical issues of the United Nations when reviewing the implementation of the Agenda 21 (or the lack of it) is the fast approaching crisis in freshwater resources which is expected to hit many countries at the beginning of the next millennium. The 1992 Earth Summit in Rio clearly recognised the importance of freshwater resources as one of the critical resources under threat from environmental degradation. Despite this recognition, and the promise made by all countries concerned under Agenda 21, the situation of freshwater resources has not improved. If anything, it has even deteriorated. The World Water Council has pointed out that the demand for freshwater resources doubles every 20 years or so. Thus, while in 1950 the council estimated that only 12 countries with a total of 20 million people suffered water shortages, this figure has increased more than two folds to afflict 26 countries in 1990 with the affected population increasing to more than 15 folds at 300 million. The council has projected that by 2050, 65 countries will be hit by water supply problems with a total of seven billion people or 60 % of the world's population affected. This is alarming indeed considering the fact that water is a basic necessity in life. The question, therefore, is not "What have we done". Neither is it "What can we do" but "What must be done".
To confirm the grave water situation we are facing and will face in the coming millennium, the United Nation's Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) has estimated that over 8 % of the current world's population now live in countries that are highly water stressed, another 25 % in countries with moderate to high water stress. The CSD has even warned that if current trends in water use continue, two-thirds of the world's population could soon be living in countries with moderate to high water stress by the year 2050.
The Water Situation in Malaysia
Malaysia is one of those fortunate countries in which water resources are abundant. The country's proximity to the Equator has given rise to a hot, wet humid equatorial climate regime in which heavy year round rainfall averaging more than 2,000 mm is received annually. In the wetter areas such as the east coast of the peninsula, an average annual rainfall of 5,000 mm is not uncommon. Significantly, under normal climatic trends, rain falls almost the entire year in all parts of the country and no single month is ever completely dry. As a result of the high rainfall all year round there are more than 150 river systems which are the country's major sources of water supply as there are few large lakes or underground aquifers. Surface runoff constitutes 556 bcm or 56 per cent of the annual total rainfall, which is estimated at 990 billion cubic metres (bcm) (1 bcm = 1 million Megalitres), while total groundwater is about 64 bcm or only 6 per cent of total rainfall (the remaining 370 bcm or 38 per cent of total rainfall is lost through evapo-transpiration). Hence, lucky Malaysians enjoy a per capita renewable water of more than 20,000 cubic meters per year, as compared to some poor middle eastern water starved people with per capita renewable water of less than 1,000 cubic metres per year. That means one person in Malaysia has access to more than 20 times the water available to someone in Yemen!
Wastage
In all aspects of water supply and demand, the one issue that is most obvious is that of Non-Revenue Water (NRW) or water that is lost either through breakage, theft, seepage or other unaccountable ways. Yet, it is one issue that is often “hidden” in the agenda as the water authorities and water companies deliberately concentrate on increasing supply instead of reducing NRW. This is understandable from the economic viewpoint, though not necessarily morally and ethically right, because the cost of replacing old and rusty pipes is astronomical. Also, such a tedious and mundane job is not as exciting as, say, building a new dam which is the “biggest” in a region. Naturally, politicians involved would want to project a better image by going for the more prestigious and high profile projects. Replacing old pipes certainly do not fit into this picture. In the case of private water companies who sell treated water to the government, they are not concerned about NRW since they charge the government what they treat at the treatment source. NRW occurs only after it has left the treatment plant, and hence is not the problem of the water company. This is one of the reasons for the current dispute between a private water company and a state government. The earth works and others involved with a large scale water mains replacement project would also cause considerable inconvenience to the public and significant water loss in the process. Hence, it is not surprising that a low priority is given to such a task.
Notwithstanding all the unsavoury aspects of NRW, the water authorities should change their mindset from one of solely concentrating on increasing water supply (hence more profits) to a more balanced approach involving better management of both water supply increment and the reduction of water loss. They should realise that the losses from NRW is substantial as shown in Table 1. Everyday, millions of litres of precious treated water are loss. In 1995, a total of 9,442 million litres of treated water was produced per day. With a NRW loss rate averaging at 38 % in 1995, a total of 3,587 million litres per day (mld) was lost. This amounted to a total lost of 1,309,255 million litres. At the selling price of 51.3 sen per cubic metre, this amounted to RM671.6 million in the whole country for 1995.
Table 1: Water Supply Capacity and Non-Revenue Water in Malaysia
_________________________________________________________________________________
Year Capacity Consumption Water Water Estimated Loss Annual
(mld)* (mld) Loss Loss in Revenue Loss
(mld) (%) Per Day (RM) (RM)
_________________________________________________________________________________
1995 9,442 7,704 3,587 38 1.84 million** 671.6 million
2000e 11,800 9,160 3,304 28 1.69 million 616.9 million
_________________________________________________________________________________
* mld = million litres per day; 1 litre = 0.001 m3; 1 mld = 1,000 m3 per day).
** Based on cost of water sold at 51.3 sen per m3 (Average price in Penang).
e For the year 2000, all values are estimated.
(Source: Seventh Malaysia Plan)
In Table 2, the extent of NRW in Penang State is illustrated. The Penang Water Authority is amongst the most efficient in the country with a NRW loss averaging about 20 %. In comparison, some States have NRW losses of much greater magnitude. For example, Sabah (58 %), Kedah (48%), Pahang (48 %) and Kelantan (40 %) all have NRW losses above 40 %. Even the Federal Capital and Selangor, two of the most progressive in the country have NRW losses at 40 %, twice of Penang’s. Nevertheless, Penang should strive for an even lower NRW water loss in view of the fact that it is poor in water resources and depends largely on Kedah (the Muda River) for its water needs.
In all fairness, it is not just the water authorities and the water companies that are responsible for water loss and wastage. Community wastage is another problem. Ever come across running taps, leaking pipes and burst mains in toilets and other public places? Have you ever taken any action to report them to the authorities? Every year, a substantial amount of water is loss through public wastage. Household wastage is another problem. Since water is cheap (the average person pays only about RM5.00 per month for his/her water bill), nobody gives a damn about saving water, unless of course, you happen to live in parts of Kuala Lumpur or Selangor where water rationing is in progress now. Water thefts is another problem, one that is described as the tip of the iceberg when a private company was caught stealing water from the mains in Bukit Kamunting, Shah Alam. According to the news reports, the company has been alleged to be stealing water for the past two years at a rate of 450,000 litres a day (Sun, 16 May 1998). Even during the height of Selangor’s water crisis, a sports and recreation club in Klang was caught stealing water from a fire hydrant to fill its swimming pool (Sun, 22 May 1998). The club was not charged in court but instead fined a meagre RM500 for misuse of water. In fact, illegal connections to water mains are widespread and difficult to control. Even when caught, the Selangor Waterworks Department did not take the offenders to court but instead let them off lightly by merely installing meters to the illegal connections (NST, 29 April 1998). According to one plumbing contractor who was interviewed by the NST, he has been involved with connecting and disconnecting illegal pipes to water mains for over 20 years! It appears almost impossible to stop illegal tapping of water as the mains and other auxiliary pipes in each State are extensive. Here, I think the authority has got it wrong. Catching all the thieves may be impossible and should not be the main concern. Instead they should concentrate on catching a few “big thieves” and slapping hefty fines and jailing them as an example.
Table 2: Water Supply Capacity, Consumption and Loss in Penang
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Year Capacity Consumption Water Loss Water Loss Estimated Loss
(million m3) (million m3) (million m3) (%) in Revenue (RM)
_________________________________________________________________________________
1981 104.2 85.5 18.7 17.9 6.86 million*
1990 166.3 131.2 35.1 21.1 13.55 million**
1995 204.0 172.3 48.1 23.6 24.68 million***
_________________________________________________________________________________
* Based on cost of water sold at 36.7 sen per m3 in 1981.
** Based on cost of water sold at 38.6 sen per m3 in 1990.
*** Based on cost of water sold at 51.3 sen per m3 in 1995.
(Source: PBA)
Apathy
Against a wet climatic background, the water security situation in Malaysia appears sound. But what appears sound may not be so against the background of years of mismanagement and neglect. Our water security situation may actually be far from being infallible. Hence, water stress and other water hazards such as floods, droughts, water pollution and water supply shortages have occurred regularly in many parts of the country in recent years. These unsavoury events are in fact increasing in frequency and severity as manifested by the current water crisis afflicting many States in the country. The current water crisis which has crippled many aspects of life (so often taken for granted) in many States is testimony enough to the fact that we are not managing this vital resource to the best of our ability. If anything, we have in fact abused water in terms of bad management, wastage and negligence.
For example, the Selangor State authorities have been warned repeatedly about over-logging and its effect on the destruction of water catchments since the National Water Resources Study was completed in 1982. In 1991, it was again warned by the Selangor Forestry Department to restrict excessive logging. Even the Prime Minister advised the State to impose a total ban on logging in 1991. Again, in 1993, the DID made the same call and in 1995, it was the Selangor Waterworks Department which projected a severe water shortage from 1997. However, while appearing to heed some of these calls with minor actions, the Selangor State government did not do enough. Its obsessive aim of “rapid development” overshadowed everything else. Hence, its apathetic attitude towards its forest, water catchments and the natural environment in general. Studies have shown that over-logging and development of hill land can lead to excessive soil erosion, landslides, destruction of water catchments, water pollution and downstream flooding (Plate 1 and Plate 2).
In the case of Penang, a lackadaisical attitude amongst State and local authorities have also been responsible for its water woes. While water catchments are scarce in Penang (Penang draws 80 % of its water needs from Kedah), it is ludicrous how the authorities can approve a grandiose plan to develop Penang Hill in 1990. Fortunately, widespread public outcry and concerted efforts from NGOs have managed to “convince” the State authorities to reject the plan. However, recently in 1997, the approval of the Penang Hill Structure Plan whereby a significant portion of water catchments in the area will be subject to development is yet another case of apathy towards water conservation. Because of hill land development and deforestation of Penang Hill, Paya Terubong hill and other hills, water resources are being depleted (as is happening in the recent water stress in the Balik Pulau area) and water hazards such as flash flooding and the spread of waterborne diseases are on the increase (Plate 3). The biggest proof of apathy on the part of Penang’s authorities was the recent lifting of the 20-year freeze on development above the 75 m contour on 6th January 1998 by the State EXCO. This “blind” move, ostensibly due to lack of land in Penang (although the current economic crisis has slowed down the construction industry substantially and demand for housing has also slackened), has effectively opened up even water catchment land for development. This move has been severely criticised since the only policy of restricting development on hill land is buried and the last defence removed. Fortunately, whether on hindsight or due to the current water crisis, the Chief Minister has announced that a new Water Supply Enactment would be tabled in the June 1998 State legislative assembly for the gazettement of water catchments (The Star, 22 May 1998). This is a welcome move but the effectiveness of such a law needs to be seen. There are current laws to protect water catchments indirectly such as The Land Conservation Act 1960 (Revised 1989), The Land Acquisition Act 1960 , The EIA Order 1987 and others, but they have been largely ineffective because of poor enforcement. Hence, what is needed is better enforcement of the law.
Elsewhere in the country, it is again apathy on the part of the relevant authorities that has contributed to the Durian Tunggal episode in Malacca in 1991, destruction of water catchments in the Lojing Highlands in Kelantan in 1997 and the diesel spills in the Langat River in Selangor in 1997 and the Sungai Dua plant in Penang 1998. There are many more incidents of such apathy if we care to dig up the records but these few examples should suffice.
Of course, to be fair to the authorities, the general public’s apathy towards water use and the environment in general is also to be blamed for much of today’s water woes. For example, while the authorities have to take part of the blame for the destruction of water catchments and the siltation of the lake in Cameron Highlands for allowing too much development (Plate 4), vegetable farmers in the area must surely be responsible for their apathetic attitude towards the environment for the loads of pesticides, weedicides and chemicals from fertilisers that they have poured into the soil and the water system. Here again, profits take priority over everything else and hence farmers have no qualms about poisoning the land and water. The general Malaysian public must also take part of the blame for being apathetic when it comes to littering and rubbish disposal. One only need to look at the condition of our rivers to see the proof of such apathetic attitude. Rivers are Malaysia’s main water sources (since underground water is rare) but are treated as raw sewers by the public as everything from domestic rubbish to furniture and even old cars are dumped into rivers (Plate 5). Sources in the Municipal Council of Penang Island confirmed that at least 10 lorry loads of rubbish are cleared from the Sg Pinang everyday. And finally, how many of us has ever thought about saving water , let alone do something about it? I believe the majority, if not all our unfortunate fellow Malaysians who are now experiencing the pain of water rationing are only doing their part in water saving when they are faced with the problem. Hence, it is a case of “Crying only when you see the coffin”.
Such apathetic attitude must change if we are to conserve our water resources. More importantly, the Malaysian public must surely do something now that those responsible are losing the battle to conserve as well as supply enough water to all. Since the authorities and water companies can only understand one way of solving water problems, i.e. by increasing water supply albeit making little or no attempt to conserve it (or at least educate the public to conserve water until it is too late like during the current crisis), then it is up to the public to save water. Hence, notwithstanding what the authorities and the private water companies have done or are still doing to alleviate water woes (including trying out some really outlandish methods supposedly capable of moving clouds and making rains), the Malaysian public must not “wait and see” but take immediate action. Certainly, the public has had enough as they are the ones experiencing the agony and stress of water rationing. Waiting for those bungling parties to do their job would be an exercise in futility. How far can the public trust the authorities when it has taken them 15 years just to form the National Water Resources Council (the idea was first mooted way back in 1983)? Even when the council is formed (the Cabinet has approved it as of 29 April 1998), we have no idea how successful it will be. In all fairness, the resistance of some water-rich States (to safeguard their own resources) and powerful economic interests are partly to be blamed and are still anticipated to be problematic for this council. Likewise, privatised water companies are a new phenomenon in their infancy. Hence, neither can the public wait for these water companies to do their part for the records show that many have failed miserably, although some in water-rich States, appear to be doing a fairly good job. The public must do their part now, wake up from their slumber and make crucial and telling sacrifices.
Blaming it on El Nino
That the years 1997/1998 are El Nino years are unquestionable. What is questionable, however, is the blaming of everything ranging from forest fires, haze, drought, flood, crop loss, water shortages, etc. on El Nino. Pointing fingers will serve no purpose, even though it is a common habit amongst Malaysians, especially amongst those responsible. When the water crisis dawned on Selangor, the Works Minister pushed the blame on to the State Government citing water to be a State matter. The State then passed it on to the Water authority which in turn blamed the climate and others for stealing water. Even putting the blame on the El Nino would be pointless. With such abundant rainfall and surface water resources available, not even the greatest of all El Ninos will have more than a mere side effect on the water security situation in the country, i.e. had those responsible done a fairly good job on managing our water resources. But putting the blame squarely on those responsible would also be useless, given the fact that those in high places often get away scot-free (no big shots were punished for the Durian Tunggal episode in Melaka in 1991, neither was anyone implicated for the February 23 1998 incident which spilled 2,700 litres of diesel into a raw water canal at the PWA pump station in Lahar Tiang, Sungai Dua, Penang or the ammonia pollution of the Langat River in March 1998). Even under the current most stressful and difficult water rationing period in Selangor, which has affected hundreds of thousands, no one was blamed let alone prosecuted barring old scapegoat El Nino. Hence, the legendary tolerance of the Malaysian public to bungling parties who just can’t deliver.
Responsibility
The government has a moral responsibility to provide the people with adequate and quality water supply. Water is an essential public good. It is one that is needed by people of all race, creed and status. Both the poor and the rich are entitled to adequate water. Even the homeless and those living in remote villages must not be deprived of this vital resource. Without water, nothing works. Because of its importance, water should never be privatised despite claims by many quarters (including private water companies) that privatisation of the water industry would improve effectiveness. While there have been many cases of successful privatisation of the water industry in western countries, there is none so far in Malaysia. States that have privatised part or all its water industry are now having problems as evident in the current water crisis in certain States. While privatisation may not be entirely bad, the appointment of suitable candidates for the privatisation exercise is vital. Here, meritocracy must be the only criteria. The company taking over the water industry must be established and have adequate experience in the field. This is not the case in many water companies in Malaysia. Even taking into consideration the climate of the current economic crisis which necessitates the awarding of contracts to local companies, it is does not make sense to award water contracts to an inexperienced company. Here, perhaps a joint partnership between an international company and a local one may be the solution. Whatever the choice, the authorities should make it transparent to the public, a policy so preached by the government.
Increasingly, privatisation has created more problems than it has solved. Arguably, there are areas in which privatisation has worked, but such cases are few and far between. On the other hand, if we start counting the failures, the list would be long. To be fair, though, there are certain goods that can be privatised and some that should not be, for the sake of the people. It is okay to privatise the Inland Revenue Department and the Postal Service but not Health Care, water, public education and other basic necessities. When privatised, these goods will no longer be treated as necessities. Instead, the companies appointed will simply treat them on a monetary basis or simply “You pay you get”. Since all private companies run on the profit motive, it will only have this in their mind and not the welfare of the public. Water is a basic necessity, and everybody is entitled to all his/her water needs. The water company will only supply the water if it is making a profit. What if it is running at a loss due to some unforeseen circumstances? Is it going to increase its tariffs? What would the effect on price be if there is a great drought that lasts for years? In the worse scenario, what if the water company collapses? Where will the water come from then? Water is simply too precious a resource to leave it to the hands of private companies. The government must keep this responsibility at all costs. It is its moral responsibility to the people.
We also need responsible leaders, not those with mere lib service. We simply cannot have leaders who start pointing fingers everytime a crisis surface. Responsible leaders should even take on the blame and try to solve the problem, not blaming others or shying away. Many Malaysian politicians resort to blaming the weather or the El Nino. Yet, even more incredible is when they start blaming God for man’s failures. How can we call our country a developed one when we still blame God for every environmental woe? And yet, there are some really religious leaders who claim that environmental disasters are God’s way of punishing humans. How did we ever elect them is beyond my comprehension. We need responsible leaders, not shirkers. Children immitate their parents and people immitate their leaders (though not all). Many leaders also blame the west (whether government, NGOs or individuals) for many of our problems, including environmental woes. Malaysians are better educated now and it is naive to think that they can be hoodwinked by such evasive actions. Ultimately, the Rakyat should perhaps be more careful when they choose their leaders in the next election.
Conclusion
On the whole, it is must be pointed out (time and again) that in its frantic quest for progress, development, modernisation and industrialisation, Malaysia is falling into the same trap as its more developed but environmentally degraded western counterparts had in the past. Every country, of course, is entitled to development. All nations aspire to become rich and affluent, and to get out of the stigma of being a developing, or worse still, under-developed Third World country. But what is the price one should pay for such development? Let’s look at the USA, the UK and eastern Europe (Poland, Russia and the old East Germany). They are no doubt developed but now has to spend billions of dollars to clean up their environment, if it can be “cleaned”. Vast tracts of land and water in Russia, Poland and East Germany are so poisoned that nothing grows in the soil and only the hardiest of aquatic life can survive in the waters. Is this what we want in our beloved country? It is about time the authorities realise that whatever development achieved must be accompanied by an equally healthy and high quality of life. How can there be good quality of life when we don’t have enough water? (Not forgetting other essentials such as clean air, green environment, fertile soils, etc.) How can one reconcile the fact that a large hotel in Batu Ferringhi (Penang) uses the equivalent of the total water usage of Teluk Bahang, a small town? Obviously, rapid development more or less equates more hotels (in the case of tourism) and since water is limited in a small State like Penang, someone will have to suffer in times of water woes, and you can bet your last Ringgit that it won’t be the tourist.
Even without looking at the blunders made by western developed countries, we have had enough episodes of water woes and water related crises to remind us to be extremely careful when dealing with nature. The relevant authorities ought to have learnt from lessons in past incidents and warnings given such as the severe droughts in the Muda region in Kedah and Perlis in 1977/78 (and countless other less severe droughts), the warnings of the National Water Resources Study about conserving water way back in 1982; the Durian Tunggal episode in Malacca in 1991; the warnings of the Prime Minister to the Menteri Besar of Selangor about deforestation in catchment areas in 1991; the warnings of the Drainage and Irrigation Department about chronic water shortage in the future if no concerted efforts were made to conserve water resources in 1993 (Utusan Konsumer, May 1998); the September diesel spill in the Langat River; the October 7 and 13 detection of ammonia in the Langat River, and again in March 1998; and the February 1998 oil spill in Sungai Dua , Penang. On all accounts, those involved should have learnt from all these incidents and warnings. Yet, they have not. Tragically, and to the detriment of the public at large, the water authorities have learnt very little indeed. Historically, human societies seem to have extreme difficulty in learning from their own past and there is even less chance of learning from others. While other factors including political ones have often intervened and watered down the lessons of experience, it is evident that many have not learned as much as they should from the advantage of experience. Water woes and crises will always be present in Malaysia as long as the water authorities do not learnt from their past mistakes. In a country where physical conditions generate abundant rainfall, humans will continue to have a “false sense of security” about the water situation.
The current water crisis will soon be forgotten as people from all walks of life pick up their lives as the economy recovers. When the market becomes bu
THE 3R CONCEPT IN WATER USAGE
By
Dr Chan Ngai Weng and Nagaswari a/p Murugiah
Water Watch Penang
10 Brown Road, 10350 Penang
Tel: 04-2283306; Fax: 04-2267042; Email: seripg@tm.net.my
Introduction
The 3Rs in water usage essentially refers to Reduce, Re-use and Re-Cycle. Hence, there is a misguided belief and misconception that the 3Rs concept refers only to the reduction of water usage, the re-use of water which has been used for one type of activity for another, and the re-cycling of water (usually wastewater), be it in the home, office or industry. Undeniably, the 3Rs of water usage is important for water conservation but more significantly, since everything else is related to water use, the 3Rs should be extended to all types of consumption. For example, the more goods we consume, the more water we use. Table 1 indicates the magnitude of the water use problem. For example, if people were to make use of public transportation instead of owning private cars, we would stand to save a lot of water. Recycling of newspapers is another area where we can save water as 1 tonne of newsprint requires 750,000 litres of water to produce. Consuming more greens and cereals rather than meat would also help save water. Hence, in a nutshell, it would be in-effective if we were to merely concentrate on the 3Rs of water consumption while not practicing the 3Rs on all other consumptions. People would have to reduce, re-use and re-cycle all sorts of goods in their normal consumption in order to effectively conserve water resources.
Table 1: Some Staggering Facts About the Volume of Water Needed to Produce Some Common Goods
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To Make 1 tonne of steel = 150,000 litres of H2O
To Make 1 car = 400,000 litres of H2O
To Make 1 tonne of newspaper/ newsprint = 750,000 litres of H2O
To Produce 1 tonne of wheat = 1,000 tonnes of H2O
(882,000 litres of H2O)
To Produce 1 tonne of rice (HYV) = 1,880,000 litres
To Produce 1 tonne of rice (LYV) = > 4,000,000 litres
To Produce 1 tonne of beef* = 10,000 tonnes of H2O
(Conversion of green to meat 10 %) (8,820,000 litres of H2O)
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* Not including H2O that cows drink & forests destroyed for ranches.
That there is no development without water is an understatement. What we should stress is that “There is no life without water”. For most Malaysians, the value of water is something they hardly ever think about unless of course they happen to be amongst the tens of thousands who were afflicted during the water crisis in 1998. This is mostly because water comes to us rather easily. All we have to do is switch on the tap. Water is also dirt cheap - so cheap that nobody ever pays any attention to saving it in the same way as we would save electricity (Chan, 1998a). In fact the average Malaysian family’s water bill is only about 10 % of its electricity bill. Yet, water is indispensable and irreplaceable. Unlike food which one can switch from one type, for example chicken (during the boycott of chicken meat recently) to another , for example fish, beef or mutton, there is no substitute for water. One can even switch from being a carnivore or omnivore to being a herbivore but one cannot switch from being a hydrovore to anything else!
Despite being so vital, everywhere we go we see water in rivers (our main source of water supply) being polluted (often deliberately). Industries dump their hazardous wastes, which get into the water system, eventually polluting it. Untreated wastes from old houses, old hotels, small towns and farms (both animals and crops) are threatening to further pollute our waters. The Malaysian Environmental Quality Report 1998 (Department of Environment, Ministry of Science, Environment and Technology Malaysia, 1999) reported that out of 836 water samples collected from all over the country, 94.5 % did not comply with standards for oil and grease, 73.7 % did not comply for total suspended solids, and 29.7 % for E.coli (Reported in NST, 3.12.99). The most alarming fact is that less than 17 % of the 5,409 treatment plants run by IWK comply with the discharge standards detailed in the Environmental Quality (Sewage and Industrial Effluent) Regulations 1979 of the DOE (The Star, 23.12.99). In terms of toxic wastes, the high tariffs charged for treating industrial wastes have resulted in many factories dumping their wastes illegally. Of these, a small number of these culprits are caught but the rest that are not tells us that somewhere the ground is poisoned and this will eventually poison our waters as well. Every year the Department of Environment receives hundreds of complaints about water pollution from all sources: factories; companies; farms; moving sources (e.g. motorised vehicles) as well as individuals. Elsewhere, water catchments are developed haphazardly and illegally for a variety of environmentally destructive activities such as logging, resorts, highways, farming and others that lead to their destruction. There is a great deal of treated water being wasted through leakage and pipe bursts that are not quickly attended to. Due to the cheap water tariffs, industries, hotels and businesses that use a lot of water find it uneconomical to install re-cycling plants. As an example, some huge international class hotels or water-intensive industries can use more water than a small town. Even on the domestic front people are not doing anything to save water. Instead, over-usage and hence wastage is the general rule in most households. This is the current scenario we are facing now. We have had one bad experience where hundreds of thousands had to go without continuous water supply for months in 1998. This water crisis that came simultaneously with the El Nino dry spell cut water production by 50 %, affecting more than 600,000 people in the Klang Valley (The Sun, 28.3.98). If we harbour any hope of not having to endure such a painful experience again, we all need to change the way we look at water and more importantly the way we use water. Contrary to popular belief and misconception, conservation of water resources and water saving is not the sole responsibility of the government or the appointed water authority/corporation. For water conservation to be totally effective, everybody has to do his/her bit. It has to be the responsibility of all (Chan, 2000).
Malaysian Society – A Water Wasting Society
Malaysia is one of those fortunate countries in which water resources are abundant (Hj. Keizrul bin Abdullah, 1998). High rainfall all year round produces surface runoff of about 556 Billion Cubic Metres (BCM) (1 BCM = 1 million Megalitres ) of water a year or 56 per cent of the annual total rainfall, which is estimated at 990 BCM.Theoretically, the total surface runoff is the amount of available water and based on the 556 BCM per annum, lucky Malaysians enjoy a per capita renewable water of more than 20,000 cubic meters per year, as compared to some poor middle eastern water starved people with per capita renewable water of less than 1,000 cubic metres per year. That means one person in Malaysia has access to more than 20 times the water available to someone in Yemen! Yet, many parts of Malaysia are still periodically afflicted with water stress, mostly due to pollution, destruction of catchments, poor management, poor enforcement, apathetic attitude, wastage of water, and other reasons which have all contributed to reduced total available water (Chan, 1998b).
One of the glaring water issues in Malaysia is that needs to be urgently addressed is that of the high domestic water usage per capita. In the 1970s, Malaysians use only about less than 200 litres of water per capita per day (LPD). This figure then increased to about 250 LPD in the 1980s and then to more than 300 LPD now. In urban areas, it has been estimated that the average person uses about 500 LPD (Renganathan, 2000). If we consider the fact that the International Standard for water use recommended by the United Nations is 165 LPD, then the average Malaysian is guilty of wasting 135 LPD. In fact, Malaysians living in the urban areas waste more than 335 LPD, i.e. an amount sufficient to sustain six persons in Africa. In Malaysia, most of the wasted water goes to flushing toilets, bathing, washing cars, clothes, floors, watering plants (gardening) and other unnecessary chores - i.e. activities which we can reduce and hence reduce water use. As a comparison, an average Indian (in India) uses only 100 LPD and a Sudanese uses even less, about 50 LPD. One might wonder why Malaysians need to use so much water when people elsewhere can get by with so little water. The answer lies in our wasteful patterns of consumption and urban way of life. Table 2 indicates the water usage of an average person practicing water conservation in the home. According to this table, the average usage is only about 130.7 LPD. As a comparison, we look at the water usage pattern of the Chan family (2 adults) and finds that the average consumption is about 143.8 LPD. Hence, Water Watch Penang’s recommendation of 200 LPD is, for all intents and purposes, adequate. But currently, Malaysians are using between 300 – 500 LPD.
Table 2: Conservative Use of Water Per Person per Day (Litres).
___________________________________________________________________________________
Drinking - 7 litres
Cooking food - 7 litres
Brushing teeth with cup X 2 - 2 litres
Washing face with flowing tap for 2 minutes - 18 litres
1 full flush (long call) - 9 litres
5 half flush (short calls) X 5 - 31.5 litres
2 Showers of 3 minutes (half blast on & off) - 27 litres
Cleaning floors with pail & mop 5 persons - 3.6 litres
Washing car with 2 pails of water
18 litres 5 persons - 3.6 litres
Washing crockery & utensils with full sink
(1 wash & 2 rinse) 25 litres 5 persons - 5 litres
Watering plants using tin watering-can
5 litres 5 persons - 1 litre
2 X Washing clothes with full basin
(1 wash & 2 rinse) 80 litres 5 persons - 16 litres
____________________
Total Amount 130.7 litres/person/day
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
WWP Recommended Standard for Average Water use - 200.0 litres/person/day
International Standard for Average Water use - 165.0 litres/person/day
Average Water Use in India - 100.0 litres/person/day
Average Water Use in Africa - 50.0 litres/person/day
___________________________________________________________________________________
Table 3: Conservative Use of Water By the Chan Family (Litres Per Capita Per Day - LPD)
___________________________________________________________________________________
Period No. of Days Total Consumption Litres Per Capita Per Day
(litres) (LPD)
____________________________________________________________________________________________
19.1.98-19.3.98 60 17,630 146.9
10.3.98-13.5.98 65 18,000 138.5
14.5.98-21.7.98 69 26,410 191.4
22.7.98-18.9.98 58 19,600 169.0
19.9.98-19.11.98 62 19,900 160.5
20.11.98-24.2.99 98 26,800 136.7
25.2.99-22.4.99 57 13,800 121.1
23.4.99-21.6.99 60 16,800 140.0
22.6.99-19.8.99 59 11,700 99.2
20.8.99-20.10.99 62 19,000 153.2
21.10.99-20.12.99 61 14,800 121.3
____________________________________________________________________________________________
19.1.98-20.12.99 711 204,440 143.8
____________________________________________________________________________________________
(Source: Perbadanan Bekalan Air Sdn Bhd water bills)
As a comparison, if a family were to use water extravagant manner without any form of water conservation whatsoever, then the amount of water wasted would be phenomenal. Such is the case with most urbanites in Malaysia where an average of 500 LPD is not uncommon. Table 4 confirms this irresponsible scenario amongst urban people, especially those with landed properties and a huge garden. It is ludicrous how a person in a city can use up to 526 LPD when his/her counterpart in the rural area is using merely 130.7 LPD. One may argue that the rural inhabitant has access to wells, rivers and ponds that the urban inhabitant does not. This may be true but who is to stop the urban dweller from installing a rainwater harvesting system, a recycling system and practise water saving? The sad reality is that the urban dweller simply has no time for all that, until of course the El Nino strikes again! If only each and every Malaysian could practise water saving and use the same amount of water as a rural inhabitant (something which is not impossible), then the total amount of water saved will be phenomenal.
Table 4: Extravagant Use of Water Per Person Per Day (Litres).
______________________________________________________________________________
Drinking - 7 litres
Cooking food - 7 litres
Brushing teeth with flowing tap for 2 minutes - 18 litres
Washing face with flowing tap for 2 minutes - 18 litres
6 full flushes X 9 litres - 54 litres
2 Baths with full bath-tub X 110 litres - 220 litres
Cleaning floors with tap/hose for
10 minutes 90 litres 5 persons - 18 litres
Washing car with tap/hose for
10 minutes 90 litres 5 persons - 18 litres
2 X Washing crockery & utensils with
running tap for 10 minutes 90 litres 5 persons - 18 litres
Watering plants using tap/hose for
10 minutes 90 litres 5 persons - 18 litres
1 Wash of clothes with washing machine
(Full load) per person - 130 litres
__________
Total Amount used by an Urbanite - 526.0 litres
(Continuation of Table 4)
Total Wastage Per Urban Person in Malaysia - 395.3 litres/person/day
(526.0 litres - 130.7 litres)
Average Malaysian Water Wastage - 233.0 litres/person/day
(The Star, 8.4.1998)
Average Malaysian Water Use - 398.0 litres/person/day
Average Urban Malaysian Water Use - 526.0 litres/person/day
Average Rural Malaysian Water Use - 130.7 litres/person/day
____________________________________________________________________________________________
The above indicates that a person practising water conservation and water saving would save about 395.3 LPD. In an average household of 5 persons, the total water saved is about 1,976.5 LPD. Nationally, if all Malaysians were to save water diligently, we are looking at 3,318,543.5 million litres per year, an amount only slightly less than the total current water demand of the whole country. This really means the amount saved could sustain the whole of Malaysia for another year without having to increase the supply. If we look at Penang’s water demand alone, the amount saved by all Malaysians in a single year could theoretically sustain the whole of Penang State for 13.8 years!
Practising the 3Rs Concept in Water Usage
The 3Rs concept of water usage is the key to water saving amongst Malaysians (Chan, 1999). If only each person could reduce his/her water use, even by a small amount per day, the amount of water saved can be significant. Table 5 lists the number of measures that can be taken by individuals to reduce, re-use and re-cycle water in the home.
Table 5: Water Watch Penang (WWP)'s 20 Simple Steps to Help Conserve Water
_________________________________________________________________________________
1 Shower: Cut down the number of showers. If possible, shower only once a day after work. Switch off shower when soaping and shampooing. Do not over-use soap or shampoo as this will need more water for rinsing. Use "organic-based" soap and shampoo. They are less “soapy” and less water is needed to rinse them off. Do not switch the shower on full blast. Cut short your shower time.
2 Brushing teeth: Use a cup of water for brushing your teeth. Never let the tap run while you are brushing.
3 Washing face: Use a wet towel instead of a running tap.
4 Hair style: Short hair definitely requires less water to wash and clean. So why not do your bit to save water? After all, many have shaved their heads bald when some football team won.
5 Toilet use: Use the squatting toilet for short calls. Pour used water (from washing hands or vegetables) into toilet instead of flushing. For those without the squatting toilet, install a "dual flush" mechanism to your flush system. This system is available in the market. If not, put a brick in the cistern.
6 Washing car: Reduce car washes. If possible, stop washing your car. If you really need to (for those who really love their cars), use a bucket and a cloth. Never use a hose.
7 Recycling - Collect used water for other uses: Collect used water by putting a bucket beneath tap. Water used for washing hands, vegetables and rinsing dishes can be used again for watering plants or for flushing the toilet.
8 Rainwater harvesting: Collect rain water (if it rains) and use it for washing the car, the floor or for watering plants. In many remote kampongs and villages, rainwater harvesting from rooftops is a viable and practical method of trapping water.
9 Collecting water from upstairs: People living in houses/apartments with more than one story can ask the plumber to do a minor connection to collect used water from showering and washing hands to be re-used for watering plants or washing the car or floors.
10 Stay home more: Reduce going out, especially during the day when it is hot. You will need to drink less water, wash less clothes and take fewer showers. In fact, it also helps save money and this will help the country’s economy as well.
11 Watering plants: Use recycled water. Never use the garden host. Use a water bucket instead. Water sparingly. Put a plate under each flower pot to retain water from leaking out of the pots.
12 Cleaning floors: Never use a hose or pour water over the floor for washing. Always use a mop. Use a “no-rinse” washing liquid. Sweep the floor more often. This way, it clears dust fast and stops it from accumulating.
13 Cooking: Try not to do too much deep frying or the cooking of oily food. The cleaning and washing up of pots and pans, as well as the walls and floors after oily cooking can waste a lot of water, not forgetting the hard work. Instead, prepare more fresh food (e.g. salad and fruits) and cook more steamed food., all of which are healthier for the body. Water used for washing vegetables can also be recycled for other uses.
14 Clothing: Try to wear cotton clothes that are not too thick or woolly. For those working in air-conditioned places, clothes can be worn twice before they are washed. However, be careful not to carry it to the extreme until hygiene is sacrificed.
15 Washing clothes: Wait until a full load is accumulated before washing. Use environmentally friendly washing powder. They are less soapy and are not harmful to the environment. In fact, one can collect the effluent water from such washing powder for re-use (washing cars, watering plants. washing shoes etc.). For handwashing, use water sparingly.
16 Sports: Reduce indulging in sweaty sports that require changing a lot of clothes. For example, some sports like squash and badminton require the change of many T-shirts during one single session. Imagine coming home with all those sweaty clothes when your mother/wife has no water to wash them! Choose something like swimming or running. For all sports, use only one T-shirt.
17 River water: Those living within the vicinity of a river should attempt to use the river water for washing purposes but not as drinking water. In the remote areas, rivers are the common bath and laundret for all. However, a word of caution here: check out the quality of the river water first. If you are not sure, check with the Department of Environment.
18 Springs: Those living within the vicinity of hills should attempt to locate springs from which water can be collected. Spring water can even be used for drinking (after filtration and boiling) as well as for general washing purposes. In the remote areas and islands (such as Perhentian and Redang), springs are important water sources. However, to be sure that the water is okay, check with the Department of Environment first.
19 Wells: Wells are important water sources in the rural areas. Those living in low-lying areas (where the water table is shallow) with a large house compound can dig and construct wells. Well water can then be used for general washing but not for drinking. Built nicely to blend in with the surrounding environment, a well can be aesthetically pleasing and add character to a house. However, check with the town council/local authority concerned before you dig a well.
20 Report leakage, damage and water thefts immediately: Report leakage of all pipes and mains. Don’t wait for others to do the job or hoping/thinking that others have done it. Report all suspected water thefts to the relevant authorities. You may even get a reward for it.
_________________________________________________________________________________
If each and every Malaysian were to seriously practise water conservation, even if it were a small number of the suggested ways, the amount of water saved would be phenomenal. Picture the following scenarios:
Scenario 1: If every person in Malaysia reduces his/her average consumption of 300 LPD of water by a mere 10 %, i.e. 30 litres per capita per day, the total amount saved by the 23.26 million people (Government of Malaysia, 1996) in the country would be about 697.8 million litres per day (MLD). This amounts to about 20.9 billion litres per month or 251.2 billion litres per year.
Scenario 2: If every person in Malaysia can reduce his/her consumption of water by a mere 20 % of his/her daily needs, i.e. 60 litres per capita per day, the country could save about 1.4 billion litres per day. This amounts to about 41.9 billion litres per month or 502.4 billion litres per year.
Scenario 3: If every person in Malaysia can reduce his/her consumption of water by a drastic 50 % of his/her daily needs, i.e. 150 litres per day, the country could save about 3.5 billion litres per day. This amounts to about 104.7 billion litres per month or 1256.0 billion litres per year.
Considering the fact that in the total water demand in the whole country is about 2,000 billion litres per year, Malaysians would have saved 12.56 % (scenario 1), 25.12 % (scenario 2) and 62.8 % (scenario 3) of total water demand. The above three scenarios are taken for slight water stress (scenario 1), moderate water stress (scenario 2) and severe water stress (scenario 3). It is not impossible for a person to reduce his/her water consumption by 10 to 20 %, although arguably reducing it by 50 % would be too drastic and may lead to health and other ill effects. One cannot reduce the amount of drinking water a person needs (about 7 glasses per day) but one can certainly reduce the number of times one takes a shower, waters the plants, washes the car, mobs the floor and change the water in the aquarium. One can even reduce the number of washes by always ensuring that a wash load is full. There are, of course, numerous other ways to conserve and reduce water use (Chan, 2000). Given a concerted effort, individuals can significantly help reduce water demand and make a telling difference.
Conclusions
Malaysians cannot consider themselves educated, if they do not have a civic-conscious attitude or responsible way of life. In the new millennium the majority of Malaysians are already well educated, informed and affluent and they should play an increasingly active role as a “partner” of the government in helping to chart the future of the country. Malaysians cannot go on blaming the Government or water agencies/companies for all water woes, as water conservation is the responsibility of all. Hence, all Malaysians should practise the 3Rs of water usage. In fact, the 3Rs should be extended to all types of consumptive usage as the majority of all other goods need water to produce. People need to reduce, re-use and re-cycle all sorts of goods in their normal consumption in order to effectively conserve water resources.
While Government is slowly changing by employing a more “rakyat friendly” approach in consulting the rakyat in many matters, the rakyat too can no longer sit back and wait for things to happen. Total development of the country and overall welfare of the people, including the vital life-giving water supply, should always be a joint effort on the part of government and rakyat. In this respect, government should even increase the consultation and participation of the rakyat in all relevant developments. In fact, the government can go one better, and that is to tap on the expertise of the rakyat in water resource conservation and other areas. It is with this kind of partnership that we can ensure that water resources remain sustainable and our children and future generations guaranteed with adequate and clean water. In conclusion, one should never underestimate the power of the people. After all, it is the rakyat that make up the country. More importantly, the individual should never feel that his/her role is unimportant. Public participation does make a difference, if only more people take a greater responsibility in water conservation. This is where the role of parents and teachers in creating awareness and a sense of caring for water saving are so important. Equally, Government, water agencies/companies and NGOs must embark on a water education and awareness year-round programme to create greater public responsibility in the ultimate evolvement of a water saving society rather than the water wasting society that we are now.
Bibliography
Chan, N.W. (1998a) “Priceless water not valued”. The Star 29 July 1998, North, p. 6, 7.
Chan, N.W. (1998b) “Water: Too cheap to prompt people to save”. The Star 29 July 1998, North, p. 2, 3.
Chan, N.W. (1999) Water Conservation, ReUse and Reduction of Water Use. Paper presented in the workshop on “Sustainable Management of Water Resources in Malaysia”, 20 July, Kuala Lumpur. Organised by Global Environment Centre (GEC), Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID), National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM), The Malaysian Water Association (MWA), Environmental Management and Research Association of Malaysia (ENSEARCH), and Selangor Waterworks Department (JBAS).
Chan, N.W. (2000) Management of Water Use in the Home: The Key to Sustainable Management of Water in the 21st Century. Paper presented at the World Day For Water Seminar 2000, 20 & 21 March 2000, Cititel, Penang.
Department of Environment, Ministry of Science, Environment and Technology Malaysia (1999) The Malaysian Environmental Quality Report 1998. Kuala Lumpur.
Government of Malaysia (1996) Seventh Malaysian Plan 1996 - 2000. Government of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.
Hj. Keizrul bin Abdullah (1998) Hydrology for Sustainable Water Resources Planning, Development and Management in Malaysia. Keynote paper presented at the International Conference on Hydrology and Water Resources of Humid Tropics, 24-26 November 1998, Ipoh, Malaysia.
NST, Various issues.
Renganathan, M. (2000) Taking Care of Water, the Responsibility of All. Paper presented at the national Seminar on Environmental Management Plan for the Proposed Beris Dam project in Kedah Darul Aman, 28 Feb - 1 March, Sungai Petani.
The Star, Various issues.
The Sun, Various issues.
DECLARATION AND AGENDA FOR ACTION
Strengthening the United Nations for the 21st Century: Recommendations of delegates at the Millennium Forum at the United Nations, 22-26 May 2000
Report By
Dr Chan Ngai Weng
President
Water Watch Penang (WWP)
10 Brown Road, 10350 Penang
Tel: 04-2283306
Fax: 04-2267042
Email: nwchan@usm.my
Introduction
From May 22 to 26 2000, 1,350 representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other civil society organizations from more than 100 countries, met and deliberated on an agenda for action at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York. This agenda is the result of the week-long forum called “The Millennium Forum”. Dr Chan Ngai Weng, representing Water Watch Penang (WWP) and the only representative from Malaysia, was one of the representatives who contributed to this agenda. The agenda includes a vision covering various vital issues confronting humanity in the new millennium such as: Poverty Eradication and Debt Cancellation; Peace, Security and Disarmament; Globalization, Equity, Justice and Diversity; Human Rights; Sustainable Development and the Environment; and the Strengthening and Democratization of the United Nations and International Organizations. The agenda is a comprehensive well-thought out strategy that would ensure the continued survival and prosperity of human society and planet Earth for the future. The agenda for action is as follows:
DECLARATION AND AGENDA FOR ACTION
We, 1,350 representatives of over 1,000 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other civil society organizations from more than 100 countries, have gathered at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York from 22 – 26 May 2000 to build upon a common vision and the work begun at civil society conferences and the UN world conferences of the 1990’s, to draw the attention of governments to the urgency of implementing the commitments they have made, and to channel our collective energies by reclaiming globalization for and by the people.
Our Vision
Our vision is of a world that is human-centered and genuinely democratic, where all human beings are full participants and determine their own destinies. In our vision we are one human family, in all our diversity, living on one common homeland and sharing a just, sustainable and peaceful world, guided by universal principles of democracy, equality, inclusion, voluntarism, non-discrimination and participation by all persons, men and women, young and old, regardless of race, faith, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity or nationality. It is a world where peace and human security, as envisioned in the principles of the United Nations Charter, replace armaments, violent conflict and wars. It is a world where everyone lives in a clean environment with a fair distribution of the earth’s resources. Our vision includes a special role for the dynamism of young people and the experience of the elderly and reaffirms the universality, indivisibility and interdependence of all human rights – civil, political, economic, social and cultural.
The Challenges
We begin the new millennium facing grave and interconnected challenges. As actors in the struggle for peace, justice and the eradication of poverty, NGOs encounter daily the human impact of rising violence and armed conflicts, widespread violations of human rights, and unacceptably large numbers of people who are denied the means of a minimal human existence. At the same time, new and emerging diseases such as HIV/AIDS threaten to devastate entire societies.
Globalization and advances in technology create significant opportunities for people to connect, share and learn from each other. At the same time, corporate-driven globalization increases inequities between and within countries, undermines local traditions and cultures, and escalates disparities between rich and poor, thereby marginalizing large numbers of people in urban and rural areas. Women, indigenous peoples, youth, boys and girls, and people with disabilities suffer disproportionately from the effects of globalization. Massive debt repayments are still made by the poorest nations to the richest, at the expense of basic healthcare, education and children's lives. Trafficking in women, sexual exploitation, drug trafficking, money laundering, corruption and the flow of small arms promote insecurity. States are becoming weaker, while an unaccountable, transnational private sector grows stronger. A single-minded focus on economic growth through uncontrolled free markets, combined with the adjustment and stabilization policies of international financial institutions controlled by the rich creditor nations are crippling many national economies, exacerbating poverty, eroding human values and destroying the natural environment.
Globalization should be made to work for the benefit of everyone: eradicate poverty and hunger globally; establish peace globally; ensure the protection and promotion of human rights globally; ensure the protection of our global environment; enforce social standards in the workplace globally. This can happen only if global corporations, international financial and trade institutions and governments are subject to effective democratic control by the people. We see a strengthened and democratized United Nations and a vibrant civil society as guarantors of this accountability. And we issue a warning: if the architects of globalization are not held to account, this will not simply be unjust; the edifice will crumble with dire consequences for everyone. In the end, the wealthy will find no refuge, as intolerance, disease, environmental devastation, war, social disintegration and political instability spread.
We wish to put forward a series of concrete steps to strengthen cooperation among all actors at the international, national, regional and local levels to make this vision a reality. Our Agenda for Action includes steps that should be taken by civil society, governments, and the United Nations.
A. ERADICATION OF POVERTY: INCLUDING SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND DEBT CANCELLATION
Poverty is a violation of human rights. With some 1.3 billion people living in extreme poverty, it is the most widespread violation of human rights in the world. Poverty exists not only in the developing countries, but is also a dramatic and hidden reality in the industrialized countries. Particularly affected are disadvantaged and underrepresented groups - indigenous people, people with disabilities, women, children, youth, and the elderly. Hunger and the HIV/AIDS pandemic are also highly related to poverty. Processes of impoverishment inherent in the global economic system are resulting in increasing inequity, social injustice and violence worldwide.
Eradication of poverty has become a matter of urgency. Poverty eradication is not an automatic consequence of economic growth; it requires purposeful action to redistribute wealth and land, to construct a safety net and to provide universal free access to education. We call on our governments, and the United Nations to make poverty eradication a top political priority.
The Forum urges
The United Nations:
1. To act as an independent arbitrator to balance the interest of debtor and creditor nations and to monitor how debt cancellation funds are spent.
2. To introduce binding codes of conduct for transnational companies, and effective tax regulation on the international financial markets, investing this money in programmes for poverty eradication.
3. To immediately establish at the United Nations, a Global Poverty Eradication Fund, which will ensure that poor people have access to credit, with contributions from governments, corporations, and the World Bank and other sources.
4. To adopt cultural development as the focus theme of one of the remaining years of the International Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1996-2007).
Governments:
1. To implement fully the commitments made at the World Summit for Social Development in 1995, in partnership with all actors of civil society in an integrated and holistic framework. Governments should focus their efforts and policies on addressing the root causes of poverty and providing for the basic needs of all, giving special priority to the needs and rights of disadvantaged and underrepresented. We further call on the governments to anchor the Copenhagen goals in their national statutes and to introduce national anti-poverty strategies that provide safety nets and basic livelihood allocation as a right.
2. To strengthen the entrepreneurial capacity of women, indigenous people and people in the informal productive sector, ensuring access to credit, to enable them to become self-employed. This is the sure way of creating jobs for all and a sustainable way of eradicating poverty.
3. To support the efforts of the poor to keep families together, with particular attention to disadvantaged and underrepresented groups including indigenous people, people with disabilities, women, children, youth, and the elderly. Effective action and resources are essential for those affected by migration.
4. To address the incidence, impact and continuing human costs of HIV/AIDS. To increase spending for health research and to ensure that the fruits of this research reach the people.
5. To recognize the special potential of people with disabilities and ensure their full participation and equal role in political, economic, social and cultural fields. To further recognize and meet their special needs, introduce inclusive policies and programmes for their empowerment, and ensure that they take a leading role in poverty eradication. To urge all states to apply the UN standard rules on the equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities.
6. To review, adopt and maintain macro-economic policies and development strategies that address the needs and efforts of women in poverty, particularly those with disabilities. To develop gender-based methodologies to address the feminization of poverty and to recognize the leading role of women in eradicating poverty, as outlined in the declaration of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.
7. To provide universal access to "education for all," prioritizing free basic education and skills training for poor communities to improve their productive capacities. We call on governments to increase budgets for education, to reduce the technology gap, and to restructure educational policy to ensure that all children (girls and boys) receive moral, spiritual, peace and human rights education, while acknowledging, through programmes for families, adult literacy and the elderly, that education is a lifelong process. Special attention must be paid to the girl child. And higher education must be attainable on merit and not only on ability to pay.
8. To move towards economic reforms aimed at equity: in particular, to construct macro economic policies that combine growth with the goal of human development and social justice; to prevent the impoverishment of groups that emerged from poverty but are still vulnerable to social risks and exclusion; to improve legislation on labor standards including the provision of a minimum legal wage and an effective social system; and to restore people’s control over primary productive resources as a key strategy for poverty eradication.
9. To introduce and implement programmes to eradicate corruption in governments and civil society at large, and to promote good governance, accountability, democracy and transparency as the foundation for public ethics.
10. To adopt comprehensive, integrated policies so that priorities of such government departments as trade and defense are in line with the policies for international sustainable development.
11. To promote the use of indigenous crops and traditional production skills to produce goods and services.
12. To explore the feasibility of a legally binding Convention for Overcoming Poverty, to be drafted in effective consultation and partnership with people living in poverty themselves.
13. To cancel the debts of developing countries, including odious debts, the repayment of which diverts funds from basic needs. To improve measures to ensure that funds from debt cancellation are spent in consultation with the impoverished sections of society within the indebted nations. To direct international financial institutions to cancel 100% of the debt owed to them and to establish an arbitration process that balances the interests of debtor and creditor nations, with an independent arbitrator who will ensure discipline and transparency.
14. To call the World Trade Organization (WTO) to rectify urgently, the agriculture agreements that put pressure on developing countries to liberalize food imports, threatening their rural livelihoods, employment, natural resources, indigenous knowledge and food production and security in general.
Civil Society:
1. To monitor and pressure governments to ensure that all the ten commitments made at the World Summit on Social Development become a reality for all. To assume our own responsibilities to help formulate and implement the national strategies for poverty eradication and to ensure the participation of the poor and marginalized communities. To create or strengthen mechanisms to monitor organizations that work against the interests of the poor.
2. To develop new relations and partnerships among community institutions, educators, scientists, researchers, local authorities, businesses, labor and NGOs in a constructive dialogue and planning process so that all can contribute their best. To pay special attention to those who have suffered most from poverty and to those who have the least opportunity to be heard by others. The poor must see themselves as real partners and must be empowered to enhance and employ their own abilities and resources in order to be of service to themselves, their families, their communities and their common home.
3. To exert our best efforts to implement the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - affirming the universality, indivisibility and interdependence of ALL rights, civil, political, social, economic and cultural - and to join the global movement for human dignity.
4. To improve conditions for decent work, capacity building and participation. To encourage the media to help monitor the commitments that governments have made.
5. To dedicate attention to the special needs of the young and the elderly, especially those from the South, and to provide opportunities for them, including access to information, and all forms of health care and education, which are essential to the eradication of poverty.
6. To direct special action to decrease high levels of youth unemployment to all global stake-holders at local, national, regional and international levels.
B. PEACE, SECURITY, AND DISARMAMENT
The UN and its member states have failed to fulfill their primary responsibility of maintaining peace and preserving human life. Organized armed violence is depriving millions of people all over the world -- 95% of them civilians -- of their lives, and many
millions more of their right to peace.
The victims of Hiroshima/Nagasaki A-bombs and of the century's other warshave vehemently warned us that the errors of the 0th century must not be repeated in the 21st. However, the killing is continuing. Six million people have died in over 50 wars in the last decade. There have been some successes, but many of these conflicts have lasted for decades with millions of dead. The cycle of violence begins with cultures that glorify violence and warrior virtues, and may be manifest in domestic violence.
Despite over fifty years of effort, no decisive progress has yet been made in eliminating nuclear weapons, still capable of destroying all life on this planet, and the circle of their possessors is expanding. For mainly commercial reasons, there is no adequate verification for treaties prohibiting biological weapons, while knowledge of how to produce them spreads. Rape continues to be used as a weapon of war. Space has been militarized, and space weapons are being actively developed. For the moment, the problem is centered in a small group of eight states that are claiming for themselves the right to possess weapons that could destroy all of humankind.
Disarmament alone is not the way to peace; it must be accompanied by genuine human security. It is imperative that NGOs be included in the dialogue for peace. The world community -- civil society, including younger and older people, and governments -- has the resources and knowledge to move from a culture of violence to a culture of peace.
The time has come to carry out the primary mission set forth in the United Nations Charter, “to preserve future generations from the scourge of war,” and to apply the principle of non-use of force, which is fundamental to the UN Charter. Working together, both civil society and governments can make armed conflict increasingly rare and can move, step by step, to the abolition of war.
The Forum urges
The United Nations:
1. To carry out the objective of moving toward the abolition of war by practical means, the UN Secretariat and interested governments, or a separate group of governments, should develop a draft proposal for global disarmament to be discussed in a fourth Special Session of the General Assembly for Disarmament. This proposal would be aimed specifically at reducing the level of armed violence throughout the world through continuing improved conflict prevention, peace keeping, conventional disarmament, and nuclear weapons abolition, in a program designed to be promoted by a broad coalition of civil society organizations, particularly youth organizations, as well as by interested governments.
2. To establish a corps of at least 50 professionally trained mediators for more effective conflict prevention, to assist in conflict warning, mediation, and conflict resolution.
3. To authorize, through the General Assembly, the establishment of an international, non-violent, inclusive, standing Peace Force of volunteer women and men to deploy to conflict areas to provide early warning, facilitate conflict resolution, protect human rights, and prevent death and destruction.
4. To draw on legal systems for conflict prevention and resolution, such as those of indigenous peoples which have conflict resolution mechanisms of their own.
5. To ensure that no “non-discriminatory” weapons, such as landmines and sub-munitions, are used by any military force, in particular by any force or coalition acting under a UN mandate.
6. To assist the Security Council on conflict prevention in a more flexible way, the General Assembly should establish an open-ended Conflict Prevention Committee to serve a rapid action conflict prevention and early warning function. It should give the world public, civil society, the UN, and national governments balanced, timely information on potential conflicts and promote possible solutions.
7. To respect national sovereignty and the prohibition of the use of force, which are fundamental in the UN Charter. This principle must not be undermined. In the solution of conflicts, all peaceful methods in accordance with Chapter 6 of the UN Charter must be tried before measures of force are undertaken in accordance with Chapter 7. The UN General Assembly should set up a broad commission to analyze standards for forceful action in cases where crimes against humanity, war crimes, or genocide are committed.
8. To expand the UN Arms register in order to show production and sale of small arms and light weapons. It should include specific names of their producers and traders.
9. To reopen the Peace Education Unit in the Department of Political Affairs (UN-DPA) with provisions for continuous liaison with NGOs.
10. To establish a humanitarian commission composed of independent experts to work with the Security Council and Secretary General and other UN agencies. The mandate of this commission would be to assess humanitarian needs and recommend protective measures for civilian populations in times of armed conflicts.
11. To establish ready police and peacekeeping forces. Sensitivity and respect for civilians, especially women and children, should be included in the training of all peacekeepers.
12. To establish an annual youth peace prize for signal accomplishments in this field.
Governments:
1. To promptly carry out their obligations in the Non-Proliferation Treaty to eliminate all nuclear weapons and to ban them. For this purpose, governments should, by the beginning of the year 2001, convene the conference to eliminate nuclear dangers, as proposed by Secretary-General Annan. Governments should immediately undertake to close laboratories that research and develop new nuclear weapons, to de-alert nuclear weapons, and to withdraw nuclear weapons from foreign states.
2.
