The moral argument and ethical challenges and framework for sustainability through holistic water management in Malaysia. Should we confine to standard approach that only measures cost benefit analysis of social policies to serve the majority of the public and deprive basic rights (water, food, air and life) of the indigenous and rural communities.This lecture combines technical approaches in sustainable water management and philosophical views - to address problems and challenges in climate change and global warming.

1. Transcript
Munira Shahbuddin
D-lab
MIT Water Club Meeting
Slide 1
It is often said that we are mostly water and that we are living on a watery planet. Although
the globe is only 7/8 part water, only small part of it is fresh. To date, less than 1 percent of
the earth’s water is fresh water that is available for drinking, irrigation and industry.
Since 1970 the water supply has declined by 33% and soon water will become the new
commodity and bound to cause a lot of conflicts. It is certainly a real and growing possibility
that future wars and conflict will be based on water.
Slide 2.
The fact that we are living on 1% of the Earth’s water seems too hard to believe. 97% of the
world’s water is salty while of the remaining 3% of fresh water, 2/3 are locked in icebergs
and snow. We are currently in the brink of depletion in water supply. There are more than 9
billion people on earth today and depending on which forecast you take, 20 to 30 years from
now the population will multiply to at least double and the consumption will increase
proportionally. If water is becoming increasingly scare, it is bound to ignite clashes between
neighbours, farms, cities or even countries. Are we ready for another war?
Slide 3.
Case of Cape Town.
Cape Town is an real time example of the severity of water crisis. 1st February 2018, Cape
Town was declared Day Zero, marking the day of the town running out of water supply and
the tap will be turned off for 10 weeks. There had been no rain for the entire January and the
drought is one in a every 384 years.
The crisis exacerbate prejudice, racism, inequality and injustice. People are subjected to
prejudice and discrimination accordingly to their water usage as the amount of consumption
and usage are displayed to the public as “shaming”. The poor are the ones who affected the
most, not only they have to que for long hours, they also receive limited supply. Flushes do
not work anymore, and hotels and malls are turning off their tap and provide sanitizer to users
as the mean to reduce water usage. Public toilets are running out of water too, while the
riches digging up boreholes. This creates greater division between the riches and the poor.
The severity of this problem began three years ago due to three years of relentless drought.
The problem in Cape Town is not only due to climate change, but also mismanagement of
resources and supply. Flourishing vineyards for winemaking in South Africa used a lot of
water and its run off contaminate the water supply. There are a lot of factors that contribute to

2. this water crisis. Cape Town is the “dystopia” and the “nightmare” that we always read in
science fictions. It is real and very terrifying of what is actually happening on the ground. We
can live without oil, but not without water.
Slide 4.
Is there any hope?
I am not very optimistic that we will overcome this crisis at soonest, but it is a good try.
Afterall, we do not have planet B.
What does the future hold for the 11 billion of us? Will we let the younger generation to
suffer the consequences of our ignorance and over consumption? Or will we gather concerted
effort to prevent further deterioration of water quality and initiate innovative actions to
improve management of water and protect water sources.
Slide 5
There are direct evidence showing that population growth causing inadequate water supply
and is freshwater use is for agriculture. Irrigation projects have led to water intensive
farming.
Slide 6
Contamination to aquifer and water bodies will eventually reduce agricultural productivity,
ecosystem and changes to local weather that will lead to desertification. One of the most
spectacular examples of unsustainable agriculture is the Aral Sea region, the fourth largest
freshwater body, with the 2/3 gone.
Slide 7
Hope for Malaysia
Slide 8
Major cities by the river.
River provide sustenance for living. Food, occupation, travel, network, cleaning, sanitation
and peace. Early civilizations like Sumerian and Mesopotamia were built and thrived along
the riparian area of Tigris and Euphrates, where Baghdad, Iraq is located at this time. Modern
cities like London, Seoul, Boston and New York are all located by the riverside. River has
become the symbol of city’s prosperity, happiness, health, development and balance in
ecosystem. It is with these aspirations, Malaysia is determine to make its capital city, Kuala
Lumpur to be one of the best places to live in harmony with the nature and modernization.
Slide 9
Historical Importance of River
Great civilizations in the world were built by the delta. Present day Thames and Hudson
rivers are the Tigris and Euprates in the past. River was the source for living and
transportation. River support life by supplying water, food and means of income. Kuala

3. Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, meant muddy confluence which settled at the meeting point
of two rivers where tin mining was explored. The serendipity led to thriving economy
activities in the area and establishment of administration and governance center.
Slide 10
Sad reality of Kuala Lumpur’s rivers.
Slide 11
Kuala Lumpur as world’s major city for sustainable living. Kuala Lumpur aspires to be one in
the top 20 cities for living and it determination to become one of the best city in the world –
trying to improve river conditions
Slide 12
Sad reality of rivers in Kuala Lumpur – dilapidated and agonizing sight.
Slide 13
River is life and the health of a river is an indicator to national development and well-being.
Malaysia is facing a huge environmental problem and water crisis where 40% of its river are
in graded as polluted and slightly polluted, class IV and V.
Slide 14
River of Life. River cleaning measures based on 12 keys initiatives – which is divided into
three categories; structural, public outreach program and restoration of natural system with
partners from all actors like municipal council, government, private companies and the
public.
Slide 15
River Cleaning Component covers three jurisdiction and 8 rivers of 110 km stream line.
The main target of this initiative is to achieve Class II Water Quality – which is suitable for
body contact and safe.
Slide 16
River of Life Kuala Lumpur
The 4 billion ringgit project for rejuvenation and rehabilitation of river condition placed three
measures for river cleaning:
1. Structural – building entrapments – grease trap, pollutant trap, construction of more waste
water and sewage treatment plants along the river, creating recreational area along the river
and installation of artworks to create harmony and appreciation to the nature and efforts to
river restoration work.
2. Restoration of Natural System
To improve the condition of rivers by planting native grass and herbs along the riverside,
introducing non-invasive aquatic species and wildlife. Preserving mountains and rainforest
area around Kuala Lumpur.

4. 3. Public Outreach Program
Slide 17
There are four factors that contributing to river pollution in Kuala Lumpur.
Untreated sewage discharge from overflow and household.
Natural causes like rain and heat.
Human factors; habit, increasing population and human activities.
Industry; chemical and pollutant discharge
Slide 18 - 19
Eutrophication
Excessive use of water, fertilizer and chemicals in agriculture caused a lot of environmental
problems such as increasing salinity and eutrophication. Eutrophication is a condition of algal
bloom and contamination in aquifer due to abundance of chemicals from the run-off
originating from farming, household and industry.
Slide 20
Factors that contribute to river pollutions in Malaysia
Sewage discharge is the highest pollutant to rivers in Malaysia. Recent study showed that
52% of the discharge came from sewage. There are a number of sewage treatment plants are
in construction, hopefully this will improve river condition and health in the future.
Natural Causes – Runoff, climate change – drought, increase concentration of pollutant in
the river and water reservoir.
Industry Discharge (Load vs Concentration in water bodies)
Oil and grease - workshop
Human Activities Daily activities like washing, taking shower, brushing teeth and gardening
use benign amount of chemicals per individual. However, increasing population means
increasing of amount of this release into the water bodies that can cause detrimental effects to
the environment.
Slide 21 – 24 Sewage Treatment and Waste Water Treatment Plant
Slide 25 - Stormwater management and road tunnel
Slide 26 – Gross Pollutant Trap
Slide 27 – River Water Treatment Plant
Slide 28 – Bioremediation – Floating wetland
Creation of artificial structure made of grass and plants to serve as filter and habitat for the
aquatic and amphibian lives.
Slide 29 - 33 Effective Microorganism

5. The concept of EM was discovered and developed by Professor Dr. Teruo Higa from the
University of Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan in 1980. EM is defined as: “fermented mixed
culture of naturally occurring species of coexisting microorganisms in acidic medium” (Higa,
2000). It consists of a wide variety or multiculture of effective, beneficial and non-phatogenic
microorganisms coexisting together (EM Trading, 2000). Microorganisms in EM are
gathered mainly from those used in the food processing industry, not genetically engineered
and not chemically synthesized. The microorganisms are carefully chosen and complying
very strict criteria in order not to harm plants, animals, humans and especially the
environment, either directly or indirectly (Higa & Chinen, 1998).
The basic purpose of EM is to restore healthy ecosystem in water by using mixed cultures of
beneficial and naturally-occurring microorganism. The principle of EM is the conversion of a
degraded ecosystem full of harmful microbes to one that is productive and contains useful
microorganisms (Zakaria, Gairola, & Shariff, 2010). This principle is the foundation of EM
technology in the environmental management and protection for diversification and
sustainability (Higa, An Earth Saving Revolution: A Means to Resolve Our World's Problems
through Effective Microorganisms (EM), 1993) Therefore, EM has a great potential in
creating an environment which is most suitable for the existence, propogation, and prosperity
of life (Higa & Parr, Beneficial and effective microorganisms for a sustainable agriculture
and environment, 1994).
EM contains more than 80 species of microorganisms divided into photosynthesizing
bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, actinomycetes and fermenting fungi which are able to
purify and revive nature (Higa, Effective Micro-organisms. For Sustainable Agriculture and
Healthy Environment (in Dutch), 1998). Each of these microorganisms has its own function
and importance in the EM solution but the key ingredient in EM solution is the phototropic
strain of bacteria. This type of bacteria distinguishes the EM solution from other microbial
blends whereby it is known and capable to break down and digest toxic substances. These
naturally occurring ingredients work synergistically together in order to secrete beneficial
substances such as bioactive minerals, enzymes, organic acids and various antioxidants when
in contact with organic matter. The resulting antioxidant environment by applying EM
enhances the solid-liquid separation, which is the foundation for cleaning the water (Higa &
Chinen, 1998)
Slide 34 – 37 Pretreatment of Selayang Wetmarket Waste Water with Effective
Microorganism
To design the bioremediation system for wet market wastewater, effective microorganism
(EM) is proposed in this project. It is a pollution control technology that uses biological
system to catalyze the degradation or transformation of various toxic chemicals to be less
toxic. EM was developed during 1970’s at the University of Ryukyus, Okinawa Japan by
Prof. Teruo Higa. Bioremediation is a decontamination method which is cost-effective and
environmental friendly. EM able to reduce organic materials and pathogenic microorganisms
in the wastewater and has become increasingly popular to reduce the environmental pollution
and to maintain biodiversity.
Slide 38 – 41 Wetland construction

6. Putrajaya Wetlands is a 200 ha constructed wetland system consisting of 24 cells to treat
surface runoff caused by development and agricultural activities from an upstream catchment
before entering Putrajaya Lake (400 ha). It was designed for stormwater treatment, flood
control and recreational use.
Ecohydrological Approach
The ecohydrological approach is implemented by the use of constructed wetland as a natural
water filtration treatment system to treat primary upstream inflow to the lake. The wetland is
to be complemented by riparian parks and gross pollutant traps. The wetlands and the lake
have been developing an interesting urban ecosystem that has enhanced the ecosystem
services in the areas.
Slide 42
Protection of Natural Reserves
Rainforest, rivers, mountains should be protected and preserve to ensure sustainability in
water supply and ecosystem.
Slide 43 - 44
The effects of climate change and human activities to rural community and
environment in Malaysia
As the population grows and the rate of climate change and air/waterborne pollution
increases, water has becoming scarce and changing the way of lives in the ecosystem. Like
other places in the world, Malaysia too is facing with the loss of river flow due to
deforestation and urbanization, water extraction from the underground, pollution and climate
change.
In this slide I would like to bring to the attention faced by the indigenous community at Pasu
Village, Pahang from Prof. Maketab Mohamed’s work on the investigation of the problems
and available solutions. The village had 134 families, where about 50 % had problems with
water supply. A few families from the village had to source their water and build a network
of Gravity Feed System (GFS) from a small stream about half a kilometre from their houses.
However, the water quantity and quality was not the best due to the oil palm and rubber
plantation at nearby. After the visiting the site, Prof. Maketab suggested a better location
about 200 meters or so upstream of the original site.
Prof. Maketab’s work with the indigenous community raised questions on inequality, ethics
and regulations. It was very evident that agricultural activities and deforestration around the
area affecting the community water supply. Should consumers of oil palm plantation and
products from deforestration be held responsible to the diminishing clean water supply to the
community? Could this be the side effects of global warming and climate change? What are
our plan to mitigate the threats by these phenomenon? It is projected that the poorest poor and
indigenous communities will be severely affected by climate change.
There is no point at installing or building infrastructure when the water is not available in the
area.

7. Slide 45 - 46
The situation in Kg Pian and Kg Kuala Terbol is different altogether – no water from the
mains, which can be prominently seen on the roadside for the last year or more. There are
supposed to be 138 families from 60 or so houses in both villages. For their water supply, the
villagers from Kg Pian and Kg Kuala Terbol pooled up their resources to build a network of
Gravity Feed System (GFS) using Sg Pupuwer (a tributary of Sg Krau) to bring water to the
houses. Incredulously, the Village Committee (JKKK) of Kg Pian recently gave permission
for logging to be carried out in the Bukit Galong, the watershed for Sg Pupuwer. An open
conflict has occurred with some villagers created a blockade, denying heavy vehicle access to
the logging area on Bukit Galong.
Slide 47 – Logging vs Water
Protection of Tropical Forest and Water Catchment Area
Logging vs Water
The coordinator of Green Living Special Interest Group from Malaysia Nature Society,
Wong Ee Lynn wrote in a local newspaper The Star to urge loggers to stop deforestation and
logging at nearby water reserves area. Plants hold water from loss and at the same time act as
filter to remove contaminants. Forest symbiosistically produce water, shelter, food and
protection to animals, plants, fungi, microorganisms and a lot more. Without forest, many
species will face extinction, not just due to the loss of habitat and ecosystem, but due to
reduction of species that used to harmonize with the environment.
Rain forest in Malaysia, like it sister forest in Amazon Basin is able to create its own climate
by producing its own rain and wind from respiration, carbon sequestration and metabolism. If
you stand far and high enough overlooking the rainforest in the early morning, you could see
mist and clouds forming like layers of cotton, floating and breathing on its own. The forest is
much alive and functioning to restore the ecosystem.
If forest is a living entity, should illegal loggers be sentenced to prison for violation and
destruction?
Slide 48 - 49
Logging blockade site at Piai Village.
The villagers believed that logging and deforestration at the nearby area were the root cause
for their problems with water supply. A number of villagers protested in front of the only
road into the logging site.
Slide 50
Pengurusan Air Pahang Berhad (PAIP) has tried to resolve the water supply problem by
constructing a booster pump at Lubuk Wong as well as water storage tanks nearby in 2013.
Unfortunately, both are unused until now – due to the fact that no water reaching the boaster
pumps.
Slide 51
The case of Sepetang River

8. Sepetang River is a coastal town located in Larut, Matang and Selama District, Perak,
Malaysia. Also known by English-speaking locals as Port Weld after a former Governor,
Frederick Weld. It is a thriving fishing village, and the main jumping-off point to the river
mouth.
The place is rich with species and habitat to many unique flora and fauna. The mangrove
plantation and wetland give breathe to lives. Fishing and farming activities thrive along the
river bed and over the years increasing activities and number of factories are affecting the
water quality and lives in the area.
Slide 52 and 53
Kuala Sepetang Mangrove Park is rich with wild and aquatic lives like wild eagle and crabs.
The area serve as aquifer for fresh water supply and function as filter to purify water from
contaminants and from salinity. It is one of the best places to go to escape hustle-bustle life in
Kuala Lumpur as it only takes three hours of driving to reach Kuala Sepetang.
Slide 54
Sources of pollution to Sepetang River – shrimp farming and latex industry.
Slide 55
The present compliance of the discharge concentration also does not consider the cumulative
(or additive) impacts of the industrial and domestic wastewater being discharged into a single
watershed.
Therefore instead of imposing law on the limit of discharge, the authority should impose
Total Maximum Load Discharge on the shrimp farmers and factories along the Sepetang
River
The situation in Sepetang River is an example of lack of dynamic law and its implication to
river health and quality due to the growing number of activities.
Slide 56-60
Public Outreach Program – Engagement with all actors – Intergovernmental, NGO,
schools, businesses and the public
Reduce Plastic Use Campaign – Malaysians use of plastics in daily lives – need innovative
intervention – and awareness on the effects of plastics to the environment
Slide 61 – Special Thanks
To Prof. Maketab Mohamed and Dr. Zaki Zainuddin, for sharing their works and teachings.
To my students, Nahla Adel and Nur Amalina Ramli, for their dedication and passion in
environmental works, conservation and protection.