Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Water rebate may be harmful

I have mixed feelings about the rebate for water in Selangor.
The intentuion is noble,but the act itself may be harmful.While there is reason to rejoice for those whom the rebate will ease financial burden,I cannot help but feel sad to think that more likely than not,a great number of ignorant Malaysians will continue(or even increase)to carelessly waste water.
Malaysia is blessed with plentiful water, a resource so precious globally.
I believe that there is lack of awareness of the fact that water security is an issue plaguing many countries in the world.
While 70% of this fresh water,only 2.5% is fresh water,and 70% of this water is locked up in ice in Antartica and Greenland.
True dry lands extend over nearly half of the earth's land surface and the area is increasing due to various anthropogenic-related stress.
At the conference on water issues some years ago,I was shocked by the attitude displayed by the then Energy,Water and Communications Minister who callously said Malaysia did not have a water issue,and that we had 95% of underground water resources unexplored.
A person in his capacity,I assumed would understand that the underground water is exploited as among the last resort.
In 2005,the department of Environment monitoring activities found that almost 50% of our river basins are polluted to certain degree.
In Selangor alone,only 35% of the rivers are suitable for water intake.It comes as scare commodity in Malaysia,water rebate will be the least of our concerns.

NEL,Kuala Lumpur.