I was delighted to be invited to speak at the UNESCO youth event entitled "Youth for World Water Forum, Online Satellite Event: Road to Dakar 2022 for Asia and Pacific Region" on 8 Dec 2020. I shared about some case studies about Water Security in Malaysia, my experience and the role of youth in tackling water issues. Sharing the presentation deck used on that day to reach more people.

1. Road to Dakar 2022 for Asia and
Pacific Region:
Engaging Youth for the 9th World
Water Forum
8 Dec 2020
By Samantha Loke
1) Greetings from Penang, Malaysia
2) I am Samantha and I am delighted to be doing this sharing with all of you today
from the perspective of a civil engineer and from Malaysia, which is relatively
more blessed in terms of water supply and sanitation
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2. 2
Priority Themes of
the 9th World Water
Forum
Overview of This Sharing
Water Security and
Sanitation
• A Closer Look at Water
Security
• Water Security for
Malaysia
Water for Rural
Development
Cooperation • Some Best Practices and
Project ExamplesMeans and Tools
• My Experience
• The Role of Youth
Priority Themes & Overview of This Sharing
Challenges/
Problem Statement
Solution Examples
My
Recommendations
1) My sharing has 3 parts: the challenges, the solution examples and my
recommendations
2) I hope this short sharing will inspire you with some new directions, motivation
and ideas
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3. The Challenges
1) There is a saying that goes: a problem well-put is half-solved
2) Therefore, for Part 1 of my sharing, let’s have a closer look at “water security”
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4. 4
• UN-Water defines water security as:
“the capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to
adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining
livelihoods, human wellbeing, and socio-economic
development, for ensuring protection against waterborne
pollution and water-related disasters, and for preserving
ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability.”
• A complex issue
• Multiple stakeholders playing their parts across the water cycle,
from catchment to sea
A Closer Look at Water Security What is water
security?
1) What is water security?
2) Water security has been defined in many ways.
3) The working definition proposed by UN-Water to serve as a starting point for
dialogue is really long. I have some visual guides to summarize about this later
4) It is a complex issue as it involves multiple stakeholders playing their parts across
the water cycle, from catchment to sea
5) These stakeholders include major water users including you and me, water
utilities, environmental agencies, government bodies, flooding agencies and more
Input:
https://www.unwater.org/publications/water-security-infographic/
https://unu.edu/media-relations/releases/water-security-a-proposed-un-
definition.html#info
https://www.gwp.org/en/About/why/the-water-challenge/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_security
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5. 5
A Closer Look at Water Security
Images credit: Siwar & Ahmed, “Concepts, Dimensions and Elements of Water Security”, 2014
1) Very quickly, we will have a quick look at other concepts, dimensions and
elements of water security, so that we know what to tackle.
2) To me, they collectively resonate the definition proposed by UN-Water.
3) On the top here: water security can be broken down to 3 elements: water access,
water safety & water affordability.
4) At the bottom: the overall national water security of a country is the composite
result of the 5 key dimensions, namely: household, economic, urban,
environmental & resilience to disasters
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6. 6
A Closer Look at Water Security
Image credit: UN-Water
Support
Needed to
Ensure Water
Security
Elements of
Water Security
1) Would like to to also highlight 4 support needed to ensure water security. They
are transboundary cooperation, financing, peace & political stability” and good
governance
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7. 7
• “The areas of the world that are most likely to have water
insecurity are:
- places with low rainfall,
- places with rapid population growth in a freshwater scarce
area,
- areas with international competition over a water source”
Water Security for Malaysia
So, Malaysia should not
face much water security
issue!
1) Generally, the areas of the world that are most likely to have water insecurity are
places with: low raninfall, rapid population growth in a freshwater scarce area,
and with international competition over a water source.
2) So Malaysia should not face much water security issue as we only face population
growth challenge?
3) Well not really! Let’s have a look at 2 case studies.
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8. 8
Selangor Water Crisis 2020
Logo credit: Air Asia
• Burst pipes
• Repair and improvement works
• Pollution
Selangor
1) Case study no. 1
2) Selangor, including our capital Kuala Lumpur kept having water supply disruption
3) Besides the inconvenience they cause, businesses also incur productivity losses.
4) There’s even a meme generated using the Air Asia logo. But instead of “now
everyone can fly” for Air Asia’s case, it is “now everyone can cry” for Selangor due
to “Air Tiada” which means “no water” in Malay language
5) The culprits of these water disruption were attributed to burst pipes, repair and
improvement works and pollution
Input
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/10/19/water-cuts-in-selangor-yet-
again-as-treatment-plants-shut-down-due-to-contamination
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/09/625758/sungai-gong-polluted-again-
time-sewage-discharge
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/10/21/a-history-of-water-cuts-in-
selangor-this-year/1914721
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9. 9
Water Supply Sustainability For Penang
Image credit: PBAPP
Penang
1) Case study no. 2 is about water supply sustainability for Penang, a state located
at the northern part of west Malaysia
2) A brief background:
3) The Ulu Muda Forest in Kedah encompasses 163,103 hectares of rainforests
Input:
https://pba.com.my/ulu-muda/
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10. 10
Water Supply Sustainability For Penang
Kedah
Penang
Perlis
70%
Perlis
96%
Kedah
80%
Penang
1) Ulu Muda is the most important water catchment area in North Malaysia.
2) About 70% of Perlis’, 96% of Kedah’s and more than 80% of Penang’s raw water
needs originate from Ulu Muda.
Input:
https://pba.com.my/ulu-muda/
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11. 11
Water Supply Sustainability For Penang
1) However the Ulu Muda forest is still not gazetted to be protected from activities
that could impact its catchment yet
2) The logging activities within this forest has been causing tension between the
Kedah and Penang states, as shown in the headlines of the news, which reads
“Negotiate, not quarrel, over water” and “Penang water body warns of dry taps of
logging resumes in Ulu Muda”
3) This case study shows that competing interests in water use is there even
between the same country and between different trades for example in this case
between the economic benefit offered by logging vs water supply. So which
should have greater priority?
4) This case study also potentially pointing us towards the importance of good
governance such as gazetting important water catchments
Input:
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/06/03/penang-water-
body-warns-of-dry-taps-if-logging-resumes-in-ulu-muda/
https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/with-all-due-
respect/2013/06/23/negotiate-not-quarrel-over-water
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12. Water Security for Malaysia
Too much water, too little water, too polluted
1) In conclusion, Malaysia still not entirely spared from the universal water issue:
too much water and it causes flooding; too little water and water is too polluted
https://www.malaymail.com/s/1348775/poor-drain-maintenance-causing-floods-in-
the-city
http://www.mwa.org.my/pdf/Avoiding-Water-Crisis-in-Malaysia.pdf
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13. The Solution Examples
1) So what can we do?
2) Let’s look at 1 best practice or project; 1 tool and 1 recommended priority.
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14. 14
Marina Barrage,
Singapore
• 3-in-1 benefits: water
supply; flood control;
lifestyle attraction
• Engineering solutions
• Strong political will
and vision: thoughtful
legislative framework
& tough enforcement
Image credit: Singapore PUB
1) Has anyone visited Marina Barrage of Singapore before?
2) The Marina Barrage is dam that spans across the Marina channel, which is the
river mouth of 5 major waterways that flow through highly urbanized areas.
3) It is a great engineering feat, but I was more in awe of the political will and vision.
4) The barrage would not have been feasible if the Singapore River was still polluted.
5) Ensuring clean water downstream of several rivers requires thoughtful legislative
framework and tough enforcement.
6) Otherwise the water will be dark and greasy while the barrage will just be a
rubbish collection center.
7) This solution example demonstrates the benefits of good governance
Input:
https://www.pub.gov.sg/watersupply/singaporewaterstory
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15. 1
5
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The Future of Digital Water
Predictive
Maintenance
Smart
Networks
Big Data
Analytics
Digital Water
Metering
1) The case study about Selangor’s water crisis earlier identified burst pipes, repair
and improvement works as one of the culprits.
2) Digital transformation for the water sectors should be able to solve just that as it
is believed to be able to improve operational efficiency and decision making
3) Here is a tool, called “digital tide cards” that you could download and use it to
facilitate discussion or brainstorming about how emerging technologies could be
harnessed to solve a water problem that you are facing.
backup
1) These cards outline a range of technological disruptors that could have a
significant impact on the water sector over the next decade and beyond.
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16. More public outreach to cultivate mindset and behavioral
change about:
1. The value of water
2. Water conservation plans
3. Improve the perception of recycled water
Japan: now Somewhere: now
1) Now, imagine a world where there’s a good water governance and engineering
skills, adequate funding for water infrastructure, digital tools to improve
operational efficiency and decision making
2) Does that mean we tackle water security issue already?
3) The answer is clearly no if we still have the general public who are wasteful in
using water or who like to litter the waterway.
4) Therefore, I think we need more and continuous public outreach programs to
cultivate mindset and behavioral change about: the value of water, water
conservation plans, improve the perception of recycled water
5) More about point no 3.: It is inevitable that alternative water resources such as
stormwater and wastewater reuse will start to complement or replace freshwater
supply gradually
6) Awareness programs to increase the community’s understanding and confidence
level about consuming and using recycled water should be kick started now.
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17. My Experience & The Role of Youth
We have reached the last part of my sharing: my experience and the role of youth
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8
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1) I was drawn to environmental and water topics ever since I was a child.
2) It is this passion about water that had guided my career path and brought me to
where I am now: speaking to all of you about a topic that’s very close to heart.
3) What I did was taking baby steps, one step at a time.
4) It was to pause and think: what’s is within my control and what can I contribute?
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19. 1
9
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1) When I was still studying, I would always geek about environmental and water
topics, this laid good foundation for accumulating knowledge and experience.
2) When I started working, I tried my best to incorporate sustainable solutions into
my design and works as a civil engineer
3) I also volunteer using my professional and personal capacity such as organizing
lunch talks for colleagues to raise awareness and supporting NGOs
4) I also do networking with like-minded people to strengthen collaborative links, to
be each other’s sounding boards, and to give encouragement to each other
5) This pretty much sums up the role of youth, which is to prepare ourselves with
the right knowledge, skills, mindset and network before we are in the greater
position to make pragmatic decisions
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20. 2
0
20 Image credit:
1) This is a visual guide on how we can gradually ramp up our level of contribution.
Backup:
If you are just starting, you can consider to be a more active social media user
promoting positive messages or good causes or start writing a blog
Input:
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/wp-
content/uploads/2018/10/LazyPersonGuide.pdf
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/takeaction/
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21. Thank you
Samantha Loke
Samantha.Loke@arup.com
My Linkedin Page:
1) Thank you for listening! I hope you have learnt something new together
2) Wishing everyone a water secured future!
3) Terima kasih & jumpa lagi
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