WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM IN MALAYSIA

history, overview, policy

Ir. AHMAD KAMAL KUNJI
 What is water supply
• Water supply is the provision of water by
public utilities, commercial organizations,
community endeavors or by individuals,
usually via a system of intake facilities, pumps,
pipes and storage tanks or part of them.
• A water supply system or water supply
network is a system of engineered hydrologic
and hydraulic components which provide water
supply.

• Hydrology is the study of the movement,

distribution and quality of water on earth.

• Hydraulic is the mechanical properties of liquids.

Fluid mechanics provides the theoretical
foundation for hydraulics such as water flow,
pumping, water retaining structure design etc.
 A water supply system typically includes:
1. Drainage basin
2. Raw water collection point
3. Water purification facilities (treatment plants)
4. Water storage facilities (reservoirs, tanks)
5. Pumping stations (if gravity flow is impractical)
6. Piping system
7. Valves
8. Hydrants
 WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM

Before 2006
 History of water supply development

The first formal arrangement for a water supply system in

Malaysia began in Penang (1804) when the population was
about 10,000 people.
~ Clear stream water from the hills was conveyed
along a brickwork channel to the town where earthen pipes
were laid through the streets and tin pipes conducted water to
the houses.
Early 20th century, many parts of the country were
rural in nature and these areas obtained their water
in the traditional way

~ rivers, individual wells, lakes and rain water

collected from roofs of houses.
Rain Water Collection System
Water Well with Hand Pump
System
During the early part of the 20th century, a water
installations method was introduced following
international movement in developed nations

~ require all potable water to be filtered,

generally using slow sand filters.
By 1915, the technology of disinfection of
water, first with hypochlorite and later with
gaseous chlorine was developed for use.
~ Disinfection of water: contagious
diseases like cholera were caused by
sewerage contaminations of water
sources notably rivers and wells.
Rapid gravity filtration plants were only
introduced in the country in the 1930s by which
time nearly all-major towns in the country had
treated water supply.

Expansion of water supply systems was

interrupted during the war years between
1941-1945 when the existing water
supply installations deteriorated because
little attention was given to them.
• A media filter is a type of filter that uses a bed
of sand, crushed granite or other material to
filter water for drinking, swimming pools,
aquaculture, irrigation, stormwater
management and other applications.
 BACKWASH
• Backwash (physical phenomenon), also
known as 'swash', the backwards flow of
air or water
• Backwash, the process of thoroughly cleaning
a pool filter by reversing the flow of water
through it with the dirt and rinse water going
to waste
 SCOUR VALVES
• Scour valves are located at low points or
between valve sections of the pipeline. Their
function is to allow periodic flushing of the
lines to remove sediment and to allow the line
to be drained for maintenance and repair
work.
VALVE
By 1950 there were more than 100 treatment
works producing 195 million litres per day (MLD)
for a population of 1.15 million in Peninsular
Malaysia.
~ water supply coverage of about
23% mainly in urban areas.

The emergence of Malaya (later known

as Peninsular Malaysia), independence in
1957, provided an opportunity for
thorough revision of policy in the water
sector.
Rural water supply, however, was somewhat neglected
until sometime during the Third Malaysia Plan (1976-
1980).
~ water supply development was
largely dictated by the consideration of
economic viability.
~ only the more viable water projects in
urban areas with a heavy concentration of
population met this criterion.
By the mid 1980s, the demand for water
was beginning to shift towards the need
of growing industrial economy.

.
Starting from 1990s, a number of water
projects implemented had grown to become
mega projects in terms of both cost and size
comparable to transportation,
communication and energy schemes
These enactments empower the State Water
Supply Authorities (SWSA) to supply water to
domestic and trade consumers
~ to lay mains and distribution pipes across
or under any street
~ through or under any enclosed land making
reasonable compensation for any damage
done.
Raw Water Source
In Peninsular Malaysia, the water resources
are dominated by the amount of water that
flows in surface streams after rainfall.
The source of all water is rainfall during the
monsoon seasons:
~ southwest monsoon in April to May
~ northeast monsoon in Nov. to January
~ inter-monsoon periods in which occurs
largely from thunderstorm activity.
The average annual rainfall:
~ 3,000 mm in Peninsular Malaysia
~ 990 billion m3 of water per year
 WATER RESOURCES IN MALAYSIA
Source of Water
(rainfall: 990 billion m3 yearly)

groundwater recharge atmosphere

64 billion m3 (evapo-transpiration)

surface runoff
566 billion m3

Sabah
113 billion m3
Peninsular Malaysia
147 billion m3
Sarawak
306 billion m3 Sarawak
306 billion m3
WATER RESOURCES IN MALAYSIA
• The use of surface water resources in Malaysia to meet
water demand requires
~ the storage of water in times of excess capacity, for
release in times when natural surface flows are
inadequate.
• In some states, groundwater resources have been
developed to meet the needs of smaller communities
and isolated industries; generally those without
access to piped supplies from surface sources.
~ Kelantan (groundwater as water supply entities,
37,575,736.00 m3 per year).
• The potential of groundwater in addressing the
problems of future water shortage is significant.
For states where the water supply
departments had been privatised
~ the state enactments provide for the
establishment of water supply regulatory bodies to
regulate and enforce the provisions of the
enactments to ensure the state governments’ as
well the consumers’ interests are safeguarded.
WATER ISSUES & PROBLEMS

1. Drought
• The cause of drought
~ lack of precipitation
~ high temperature
~ high wind
~ low relative humidity
 2. Pipe failures
Malaysia’s non-revenue water is
currently 39%.
~ 26% lost through damaged water
pipes
~ 6% through inaccurate meter
reading
~ 5% was stolen
~ 2% was due to other reasons.

Under the 7th Malaysia Plan, RM499.5 million was spent

for this.
~ In 24 districts, water pipes totalling 2,648 km
were changed and water tank capacities were
increased.
• For the 8th Malaysia Plan, RM215 million has
been allocated
~ estimated that about RM9.5 billion is
needed to change old water pipes
nationwide.
• Pipe failures are an increasing problem as
pipelines age and reach critical levels of
predictable.
 Projected Water Demand
Demand* 1998 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

Domestic Million 1,833 2,209 2,987 3,862 4,606 5,251 5,904

m3/yr
MLD 5,022 5,558 8,184 10,582 12,622 14,388 16,176

Industrial Million 1,260 1,454 2,592 3,561 4,330 5,016 5,639

m3/yr
MLD 3,453 3,985 7,101 9,756 11,863 13,743 15,452

Domestic Million 3,093 3,483 5,578 7,423 8,936 10,267 11,543

and m3/yr
Industrial MLD 8,475 9,543 15,285 20,338 24,485 28,131 31,628

Irrigation Million 7,350 7,350 6,517 6,517 6,132 6,132 6,132

m3/yr
MLD 20,139 20,139 17,857 17,857 16,802 16,802 16,802

Total Million 10,443 10,833 12,095 13,940 15,068 16,399 17,675

Demand m3/yr

MLD 28,614 29,682 33,142 38,195 41,287 44,933 48,430

 Malaysian Water Vision 2025

…“In support of Vision 2020 (towards

achieving developed nation status),
Malaysia will conserve and manage its
water resources to ensure adequate and
safe water for all (including the
environment)”…
 WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM

After 2006
COMMUNICATION PIPE
PUMPING TO WATER TOWER
National Drinking Water Quality Standards

Maximum Acceptable
Parameters
Value

Fluoride 0.4 – 0.6 mg/l

Turbidity < 5 NTU

pH 6.5 - 9.0

Colour < 15 TCU

Free Residuel Chlorine 0.2 – 5.0 mg/l

Aluminium < 0.2 mg/l

Manganese < 0.1 mg/l

Source: Ministry of Health

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