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Presentation of Water Book to the Chief Minister of Penang

1. The Asia-Pacific People’s Environment Network (APPEN) is presenting its new publication ‘Water Watch: A Community Action Guide’ to the Chief Minister of Penang YAB Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon. The book is a manual for civic participation and monitoring in the Asia Pacific Region.

2. APPEN is also presenting the Chief Minister with an additional number of copies to be given out at the National Water Council during the Council’s upcoming first meeting on 29 July.

3. The book was produced under a programme called Water Watch Asia, the region’s first water network jointly set up by APPEN and Asia Pacific 2000, an initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In the years 1997-1998, Water Watch Asia was based in Penang, Malaysia.

4. One of Water Watch Asia’s strategy to support advocacy in times of our water crisis is to initiate the formation of local waterwatch groups. During the Ecological Sustainability Roundtable of the Sustainable Penang Initiative organised by the Socio-Economic & Environmental Research Institute (SERI Penang) in November 1997, a local waterwatch group called Water Watch Penang was formed. This group is now applying for registration as a society, with Dr. Chan Ngai Weng as its protem chairperson.

5. The aims of Water Watch Penang is “to promote the study, awareness, knowledge, conservation, protection and the practice of a water saving society towards the sustainable development of water resources in accordance with the aspirations of Agenda 21 of the United Nations and Malaysia’s Environmental Commitment.”

6. ‘Water Watch: A Community Action Guide’ is the first book on water monitoring to be published in Malaysia. The author Abdur-Razzaq Lubis, is the coordinator of Water Watch Asia and is also the protem secretary of Water Watch Penang.

7. From this year onwards, the secretariat of Water Watch Asia and Water Watch Penang will be based at SERI Penang.

Our New Teluk Bahang Dam
Completed in 1999
Storage Capacity: 19.24 billion litres
Aerial View of Teluk Bahang

Another view of the Teluk Bahang Dam

Photographs By Courtesy of Penang Water Corporation

Last modified on Wednesday, June 07, 2000