Reducing wastage (water) the solution: ERA Consumer

Date : 200604
Source : Sun2surf (The Sun Online)
Title : Reducing wastage the solution: ERA Consumer

EVEN THOUGH WE may need to pay more for our water, the escalating costs of managing the commodity must be checked. Consumers have a right not to keep paying more for inefficient services.

The mass media have seen a virtual flood of letters from readers who want to see water supply improve before they pay higher tariffs.

As one angry Petaling Jaya resident said, he wants to be able to drink the water straight out of the tap before he pays more.

ERA Consumer and the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations are firmly against any price increase considering the present state of the water supply.

Their main concern is the way water is gradually being transformed from a basic human right to a commodity to profit from, with the poor being hardest hit by the rising cost of access to the resource.

A removal of subsidies will be detrimental to the poor, says ERA Consumer secretary-general Indrani Thurai­singham, so any move to increase tariffs or to privatise water supply must be preceded by having certain safety nets in place.

We also need to change our priorities in the management of water, she adds.

Many state water agencies are encountering problems simply because they rely almost 100% on water supply management. When there is not enough water to meet demand, they build more expensive and larger dams and treatment plants. This is where all our money is going.

“Why don’t we focus on water de­mand management instead, such as reducing wastage, recycling and tackling pollution in waterways?” asks Indrani.

Money should instead be spent on rehabilitating rivers, protecting catchment areas, public education, and other measures to ensure sustainable water supply.

Indrani believes that using water tariffs as a means to control water usage should not be the preferred way, as the people should be educated and made to understand the need to conserve water and the environment.

She also believes that half the problems would be solved if the problem of non-revenue water (NRW) is tackled.

There has been no improvement in the rate of water loss or non-revenue water (NRW) which averages at 40% nationally. Leaky pipes and water pilferage have continued to be the main source of NRW for years.

It was reported that for 2002, Perbadanan Urus Air Selangor (PUAS) lost RM565 million through non-revenue water.

“What is required urgently is improved efficiency through upgrading and rehabilitation of the existing distribution system,” she adds.
Indrani also called for better partnership between the stakeholders to ensure that money is spent to attain the sustainable use of water.