RECENTLY, Perak Mentri Besar Saarani Mohamad apologised to Penangites as the state could not share raw water with the “Pearl of the Orient”.
According to him, Perak is unable to supply raw water from Sungai Perak to Penang as studies had shown that it did not have enough for its own use.
Recently, we also read about Kedah talking about imposing tariffs and maybe even putting blockades along Sungai Muda that supplies water to Penang.
All this seems to appear like a case of “my state” over “yours”. If states start thinking like this, what would happen to our country? This is a valid question as it concerns our country that has 13 states and three federal territories – each with its specific jurisdictions.
Is Malaysia really having a water shortage? This is mind-boggling for a country that has a tropical climate in the equatorial zone, where rainfall is a characteristic recurrence in this rainforest belt.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, citing the Asian Development Bank, it stated that “An increase in rainfall is projected and is expected to be larger in Sabah and Sarawak than in Peninsular Malaysia”.
And that “Malaysia is particularly vulnerable to flooding, with this natural hazard contributing more damage than any other the country experiences. The frequency and extremity of flood events have increased in recent decades, with projections showing they will continue to increase with continued global warming”.
So, we need to ask ourselves if it is a case of less rainfall, changing patterns in rainfall or failure in environmental management to harness our resources that is causing a shortage of water.
J. D. Lovrenciear
