pywong
23rd October 2008, 05:03 PM
It has been predicted that the next war will be over water. Singapore has hinted that she will go to war if the Johor water for them is stopped. Israel's behaviour in the Middle East with respect to the territory she annexed during the Six Day War has got a lot to do with water.
Meanwhile we are very careless with the use of our water because of its abundance and low price.
We should conserve this precious resource and protect its sources from pollution.
Insufficient water despite abundant resources because of bad management
PUTRAJAYA, Oct 23 — Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Douglas Unggah Embas said Malaysia lacks water resources in many parts of the country despite boasting five times higher per capita renewable water as compared to many regions in the world.
He added that Malaysia’s per capita renewable water was about 5,000 cubic metres per person per year as opposed to less than 1,000 cubic metres per capita per year in other regions in the world.
Obviously, this problem was attributed to unsustainable management of water resources rather than to the quantity of water available for domestic, industrial and agricultural uses, he said when opening the Third Water and Environment Partnership in Asia (WEPA) International Forum on Water Environmental Governance.
His speech text was delivered by his deputy, Datuk Maznah Mazlan.
A recent study indicated that only 40 per cent of the country’s lakes and reservoirs were in good condition, he cited as an example.
“As these water bodies hold large volumes of water that can be utilised during droughts, the management of water quality has become increasingly critical,” he said.
He said water quality issues in Malaysia were expected to be an important agenda in the future as the population continued to grow.
The government, among others, would give greater emphasis on water quality programmes to improve the surface water.
WEPA, a programme initiated under the Japanese Ministry of Environment following the 3rd World Water Forum in Kyoto, Japan, in 2003 has chosen Malaysia to hold the two-day forum beginning today. — Bernama
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com.my/index.php/malaysia/11049-insufficient-water-despite-abundant-resources-because-of-bad-management
Meanwhile we are very careless with the use of our water because of its abundance and low price.
We should conserve this precious resource and protect its sources from pollution.
Insufficient water despite abundant resources because of bad management
PUTRAJAYA, Oct 23 — Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Douglas Unggah Embas said Malaysia lacks water resources in many parts of the country despite boasting five times higher per capita renewable water as compared to many regions in the world.
He added that Malaysia’s per capita renewable water was about 5,000 cubic metres per person per year as opposed to less than 1,000 cubic metres per capita per year in other regions in the world.
Obviously, this problem was attributed to unsustainable management of water resources rather than to the quantity of water available for domestic, industrial and agricultural uses, he said when opening the Third Water and Environment Partnership in Asia (WEPA) International Forum on Water Environmental Governance.
His speech text was delivered by his deputy, Datuk Maznah Mazlan.
A recent study indicated that only 40 per cent of the country’s lakes and reservoirs were in good condition, he cited as an example.
“As these water bodies hold large volumes of water that can be utilised during droughts, the management of water quality has become increasingly critical,” he said.
He said water quality issues in Malaysia were expected to be an important agenda in the future as the population continued to grow.
The government, among others, would give greater emphasis on water quality programmes to improve the surface water.
WEPA, a programme initiated under the Japanese Ministry of Environment following the 3rd World Water Forum in Kyoto, Japan, in 2003 has chosen Malaysia to hold the two-day forum beginning today. — Bernama
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com.my/index.php/malaysia/11049-insufficient-water-despite-abundant-resources-because-of-bad-management