14 theSun | THURSDAY MAY 14 2009

INTERVIEWS VIEWS

Averting a water crisis

WAY back in the 1780s, scores of
indentured labourers from India
worked to sustain the rising
population of Penang, by car-
rying on their bare backs huge
containers of water that they had
collected from the waterfall on
the island.
While the struggles of these
labourers, who were responsible
for providing precious water to
the early port settlement under
the British colonial administra-
tion, are no longer remembered,
part of a shrine they had built
then still exists near the water-
fall, in what is today a restricted
zone in the Botanic Gardens.
Due to the efforts of such
early pioneers, Penang had al-
ready got its first running water
by 1805. Governor RT Farquhar
had ordered engineers to build
an aqueduct to convey fresh wa-
ter collected from the waterfall
stream to a reservoir at the site
of the current E&O Hotel – a
distance of some 9.5km.
From here earthenware pipes
carried water to the streets, with
tin pipes leading to individual
houses. By 1887, all of George
Town had running water,
serving a community of 70,000
people.
Today, blessed with a seem-
ingly robust, ever-flowing supply
of water, the 1.55 million people
of modern Penang are oblivious
to the toils of their predecessors.
It is not uncommon to see
hawkers let water run freely
from pipes even when dishes are
not being washed, and for taps
in houses to be left open, with
water pouring out like endless
springs, even when not in use.
Tragically enough, while
Penang’s water supply rate, at
only 30 sen a litre, is the cheap-
est in country, the consumption
by its inhabitants is one of the
highest.
In 2008, Penangites were re-
sponsible for consuming more
than 272 billion litres of treated
water – enough to fill 104 dams
the size of the Air Itam Dam on
the island.
Remarkably, domestic water
consumers here used an average
of 285 litres of water per person
per day last year, as compared
to merely 157 litres in Singapore
and 219 litres in Hongkong.
The treated water for domes-
tic consumption here costs only
10% of the price for treated water
in Singapore and 25% of the price
of treated water in Hongkong.
It is no wonder then that
the Penang government, citing
economic and environmental
pressures, has gone on a drive
to reduce consumption, targeting
to reduce water usage by at least
10% in 2009.
The state’s concern is not
unwarranted. There have been
warnings that water supply in
the northern part of peninsular
Malaysia may face depletion
very soon. There are signs that
acute water shortage may al-
ready be felt within the next five
years if the consumption trend is
left unchecked.
“If we continue to consume
water at this present high rate,”
warned Chief Minister Lim Guan
TheNutmeg Eng, “we are going to need more
or bigger dams, treatment plants,
Verses pumping stations and pipelines
by Himanshu Bhatt soon because our population
will continue to grow. Water
infrastructure projects can cost
billions of ringgit.”
The Penang Water Supply
Corporation (PBAPP) is consid-
ering drastic measures to curb
consumption, including penalis-
ing those who use excessive
amounts.
The state is keenly pointing to
the example of Singapore, which
has little raw water of its own
and is recycling its wastewater.
The authorities have also tried
to emphasise the environmental
ramifications of exorbitant water
consumption. The higher the
use, the more the wastewater
that would be discharged into
the sea, further contributing to
over-pollution and poisoning of
the shores.
Furthermore, the more the
water used by the public, the
more energy and fuel PBAPP
is forced to consume in treat-
ing raw water and pumping to
homes, to fulfil its 100% urban
supply coverage and 99.5% rural
supply coverage.
Added to these problems is
a looming threat to the region’s
most sensitive water catchment
area. On June 18 last year, Kedah
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan
Abdul Razak announced plans
to allow logging around the Pedu,
Muda and Ahning dam vicinities.
Deforestation in the earmarked
area, reportedly twice the size of
Singapore, would drastically af-
fect water supply, irrigation and
also power, while raising tem-
peratures in the whole region.
Amid such an ominous crisis,
we could do well to help recount
the trials our early pioneers, to
make our people value how pre-
cious the water resources that
we are left with today are.
Himanshu is Penang bureau chief.
Comments: letters@thesundaily.
com

letters
letters@thesundaily.com
IDR challenges call for special ties
I REFER to Singapore Finance
Minister Tharman Shanmugarat-
nam’s comments on economic
prospects facing the republic in
an interview on Al Jazeera on May
3.
The most refreshing dimension
of the interview was the absence
of resorting to a “blame game” es-
pecially against the American-style
capitalist system. At best, America
and other defaulting nations failed
to recognise the early fiscal warn-
ing signals and thereby simply “got
it wrong”. At worst, the current
problem arose from Americans
living beyond their means.
The Singapore case was well
presented as one of being at the
“receiving end” of the meltdown.
It was a comprehensive and
transparent appraisal of the overall
situation in the “big picture” and
a somewhat bold projection that
the policies and the new strategies
being put in place to result in the
desired outcomes.
The analysis was rather more
in the nature of a university lec-
ture rather than a projection of
the future direction for change.
Indeed, the discussion was es-
sentially status-quo oriented and
specifically well “within the box”
in a situation where new political
structures and initiatives to break
out of the impasse were omitted.
These would have been crucial if
real and meaningful improvements
are to ensue.
It is important that the entire
Iskandar Development Region (IDR)
plan proposals therefore should
be framed and developed within
a clear “theoretical” perspective
of charting the kind of initial
structural changes that need to
be made. This is because, after
the years of political independ-
ence, the plan can be seen as a
microcosm for “taking stock” of
past developments and indeed
offering the defining possibility of
redressing some of the shortfalls
in Singapore’s own past develop-
ment plans. Central to this concern
is necessity of identifying some
of the fundamental constraints
to the plan proposals, as well as
formulating and implementing
the re-structuring of certain insti-
tutional structures causing these
shortfalls
The IDR proposal therefore
theoretically and conceptually of-
fers a new and dynamic potential
platform from which to address
and redress the above-mentioned
scenario through the revival and
modernisation of the strong and
multiple ties that have existed
between Johor and Singapore ever
since the region came under the
sway of British Imperialism in the
late 19th century.
Indeed, it needs to be empha-
sised from the outset that the
island of Singapore was in fact a
territorial part of the state of Johor
when Sir Stamford Raffles “ac-
quired” the island for Britain. But its
importance even at its inception,
was recognised not just as being
an island as such, but rather as the
potential central point and focus
for future trade and commerce
for the entire region of the Malay
States and even for the adjoining
territories of Indonesia. Raffles’
foresight has therefore resulted
in the exchange of countless of-
ficial and personal relationships
continuously over the past century
between these territories so that
such relationships today are now
a matter of daily occurrence. These
cumulative relationships should
now be reflected in the pattern of
trade and prosperity of Malaysia
and Singapore so that the IDR
could move on to wider arenas at
more sophisticated levels.
It may be useful to understand
that the geopolitical perspective in
the historical development in the
relationship between Johor (as part
of Malaysia) and Singapore has
essentially been one of the “satel-
lite-hinterland”. That is to say that
while on the one hand Singapore
as the “satellite” was dependent
on the “hinterland” of Malaysia
for much of its natural resources
including water, Singapore’s rapid
and dynamic rate and pace of de-
velopment and modernisation ena-
bled it to function as a “magnet” to
draw and drain the economic and
human resources of the hinterland
towards its own development.
On this basis, it can be argued
that the model of development
under IDR needs to be carefully
considered. While it is clear that
as a growth area it should repre-
sent the best that both countries
can offer in terms of value-added
activities and human resource de-
velopment activities for the people,
it cannot be “conceived as a clone
of Singapore or a Singaporean
enclave in Johor”, either.
Both the Johor and Singapore
governments are clear that the IDR
offers a challenging opportunity
for both counties to maximise the
application of available up-to-date
sophisticated high-tech resources
for the development of the region.
It is important, however, that this
should happen within a social
climate which also recognises the
specific needs of each country; and
in particular, the need to identify
and overcome constraints each
may face towards achieving joint
development goals. This calls for a
special mutually-cooperative and
supportive relationship that should
not only enhance the effective-
ness of the immediate objectives
themselves, but more importantly,
contribute to Singapore’s long-
term development.
Dr Collin Abraham
Kuala Lumpur
Tell us more about 42,000 projects awarded
THE government recently reported that
some 42,000 projects worth RM5.6 billion
had been awarded.
For the government to affirm that so
many projects have been “awarded” in
such a short period is undoubtedly an
extraordinary effort and achievement,
bearing in mind that these are not nor-
mal well-planned operations undertaken
through the annual budget process.
And, what is meant by “awarded”.
Does this mean that contracts worth
that amount have been issued to contrac-
tors? Does this mean that the government
has completed the following actions
which are critical prerequisites to ensure
funds are not wasted: proper needs as-
sessment and identification of beneficiar-
ies, proper project specifications of works
or supplies that need to be provided by
Climate chaos
predicted by CO2 study
by Steve Connor
THE world will overshoot its long-term
target on greenhouse gas emissions within
two decades. A study has found that the
average global temperature will rise above
the threshold that could cause dangerous
climate change during that time.
Scientists have calculated that the world
has already produced about a third of the
total amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that
could be emitted between 2000 and 2050
and still keep within a 2°C rise in global
average temperatures.
At the rate at which CO2 is emitted
globally – which is increasing by 3% a year
– countries will have exceeded their total
limit of 1,000 billion tons within 20 years,
which would be about 20 years earlier than
planned under international obligations. “If
we continue burning fossil fuels as we do,
we will have exhausted the carbon budget in
merely 20 years, and global warming will go
well beyond 2°C,” said Malte Meinshausen
of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact
Research in Germany, who led the study,
published in Nature.
“Substantial reductions in global emis-
sions have to begin soon – before 2020. If
we wait longer, the required phase-out of
carbon emissions will involve tremendous
economic costs and technological challeng-
es. We should not forget that a 2°C global
mean warming would take us far beyond
the variations that Earth has experienced
since we humans have been around.”
It is the first time scientists have cal-
the contractors, cost estimations, tenders
and quotations have been received from
contractors, and these have been properly
evaluated and reviewed?
When so much funds are rushed
through a system with limited capacity,
there are bound to be all kinds of leakage
and waste due to many causes – ranging
from pilferage, overpayment for limited
works, uncompleted projects, etc.
The government should list all the
projects by sectors and geographical re-
gions, showing the value of each project,
the office responsible, its intended output
and outcome, the number of beneficiar-
ies and when the project is to be com-
pleted.
Providing such information in an easily
accessible form will be the first practical
step in improving transparency and ac-
culated accurately the amount of green-
house gas emissions that can be released
between 2000 and 2050 and still have a
reasonable chance of avoiding temperature
rises higher than 2°C above pre-industrial
levels – viewed as a “safe” threshold.
The scientists found the total amount of
greenhouse gases that could be released
over this time would be equivalent to 1,000
billion tons of CO2. This is equivalent to us-
ing up about 25% of known reserves of oil,
gas and coal, said Bill Hare, a co-author of
the study.
The study concluded that the world
must agree on a cut in carbon dioxide
emissions of more than 50% by 2050 if
the probability of exceeding a 2°C rise in
average temperatures is to be limited to a
risk of 1 in 4.
“With every year of delay (in agreeing on
further cuts), we consume a larger part of
our emissions budget, losing room to ma-
noeuvre and increasing the probabilities of
dangerous consequences,” said Reto Knutti
of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
in Zurich.
Myles Allen of Oxford University said the
total emissions of CO2 that have accumu-
lated in the atmosphere since the start of
the Industrial Revolution in the mid-18th
century are the really important figure for
future climate change.
“Mother Nature doesn’t care about
dates. To avoid dangerous climate change
we will have to limit the amount of carbon
we inject into the atmosphere, not just the
rate,” Dr Allen said. – The Independent
countability and curbing corruption and
waste.
Elected representatives and the peo-
ple will become aware of the projects and
are likely to provide good feedback on the
projects.
The government should also come out
with specific information and assurances
to the public on how it is going to ensure
that these 43,000 projects and the funds
that go with it are going to be properly
managed by ministries and departments
and what form of reports will be submit-
ted to the people and Parliament on their
completion.
The auditor general can also come out
with clear statements on how his office is
going to audit and report the projects.
Kathirvel