BEM Jun04-Aug04 (Water Engineering)

8/17/2019 BEM Jun04-Aug04 (Water Engineering)

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WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN MALAYSIA –

THE WAY FORWARD

ACHIEVING WORLD CLASS WATER UTILITY

COMPANY STANDARD

INTEGRATED RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT

ACCREDITED CHECKERS REGISTRATION

GUIDELINES FOR AN ENGINEER TAKING OVER

THE WORK OF ANOTHER

MANAGING FLOOD PROBLEMS IN MALAYSIA

L E M B A G A

J U R U T E R A

MALAYSIA

THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS MALAYSIA LEMBAGA JURUTERA MALAYSIA

KDN PP11720/9/2003 ISSN 0128-4347 VOL.22 JUNE-AUGUST 2004 RM10.00


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Editor’s Note

B U L E T I N I N G E N I E U R 2

Members of the Board of Engineers Malaysia(BEM) 2003/2004

President YBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Ir. Hj Zaini Omar

RegistrarIr. Ashari bin Mohd Yakub

SecretaryIr. Dr. Judin bin Abdul Karim

Members of BEM YBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Ir. Md Radzi bin Mansor

YBhg. Datuk Ir. Santhakumar Sivasubramaniam YBhg. Dato’ Ir. Dr. Hj. Abdul Rashid bin Maidin

YBhg. Datu Ir. Hubert Thian Chong Hui YBhg. Dato’ Ir. Ashok Kumar Sharma

YBhg. Datuk Ir. Md Sidek bin Ahmad YBhg. Datuk Ir. Hj. Keizrul Abdullah

YBhg. Dato’ Ir. Kok Soo ChonIr. Ho Jin WahIr. Yim Hon Wa

Ir. Prof. Ow Chee ShengIr. Mohd Aman bin Hj Idris

Ir. Hj. Abu Bakar bin Che’ ManIr. Prof. Abang Abdullah bin Abang Ali

Tuan Hj. Basar bin JuraimiAr. Paul Lai Chu

Editorial Board

Advisor YBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Ir. Hj Zaini Omar

Chairman YBhg Datuk Ir. Shanthakumar Sivasubramaniam

EditorIr. Fong Tian Yong

Members YBhg. Dato’ Ir. Ashok Kumar SharmaIr. Prof. Madya Dr. Eric Goh Kok Hoe

Ir. Prof. Ishak bin Abdul RahmanIr. Prof. Dr. Ruslan HassanIr. Prof. Dr. K. S. Kannan

Ir. Nitchiananthan BalasubramaniamIr. Mustaza bin Hj. SalimIr. Md Amir bin KasimIr. Dr Lee Say ChongIr. Chan Boon TeikIr. Choo Kok Beng

Publication OfficerPn. Nik Kamaliah bt. Nik Abdul Rahman

Assistant Publication OfficerPn. Che Asiah bt. Mohamad Ali

Design and ProductionInforeach Communications Sdn Bhd

Buletin Ingenieur is published by the Board of Engineers Malaysia (Lembaga Jurutera Malaysia)

and is distributed free of charge to registeredProfessional Engineers.

The statements and opinions expressed in thispublication are those of the writers.

BEM invites all registered engineers to contributearticles or send their views and comments to the

following address:

Publication CommitteeLembaga Jurutera Malaysia,Tingkat 17, Ibu Pejabat JKR

Kompleks Kerja Raya Malaysia,Jalan Sultan Salahuddin

50580 Kuala LumpurTel: 03-2698 0590 Fax: 03-2692 5017

E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] site: http://www.bem.org.my

Advertising/SubscriptionsSubscription Form is on page 54

Advertisement Form is on page 55

President’s Message

There are a host of activities relating to waterwithin the country. Firstly, 2003 was declared the“International Year of Freshwater” by the UNGeneral Assembly. Recently the “1st Malaysia Water

Week” was hosted in June 2004 with seminars andexhibitions. This will be followed by anotherseminar on “Water and Waste Water Technologies”to be held in August 2004.

The prominence given to water can beunderstandable given the current concerns, globally and nationally.Water, as the most essential of life-sustaining elements, provides formankind not only drinking water and sanitation, but also water fortransport, food, fish, recreation, energy, irrigation and industrialprocesses and so on.

The recent restructuring of Government Ministries to place water-

related departments under one Ministry, namely water supply,sewerage, drainage and river signifies the focus of the nation towardsintegration of water resources management . With this, the nationexpects greater expertise and innovation from the engineeringfraternity to support the Malaysian Water Vision 2025 to conserveand manage its water resources to ensure adequate and safe waterfor all, including the environment.

TAN SRI DATO’ Ir. HJ. ZAINI BIN OMARPresident

BOARD OF ENGINEERS MALAYSIA

The article on OSC which appeared in the December2003 issue of Buletin Ingenieur has proven effective

in informing Professional Engineers of the newsubmitting procedure for Building Plan and CFOthrough the One Stop Centre. From inquiries receivedand comments gathered on the ground, views and

suggestions sent to the Buletin Ingenieur will be of great help as weunderstand that the relevant authority is planning to review andimprove the guidelines on OSC.

On matters relating to publication, the publication committeehas lately re-examined its role and decided to expand is functions toother areas such as publication of information booklets, BEMguidelines and compilation of published articles. Suggestions andviews on this matter are invited.

Ir. Fong Tian Yong

Editor

KDN PP11720/9/2003 ISSN 0128-4347 VOL. 22 JUNE-AUG 2004


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Announcement

Conference on

Automation andComputer Networks(CACN) 2004

Date:

July 22-23, 2004

Venue:Putra World Trade Centre,Kuala Lumpur

Organiser:Association of ConsultingEngineers Malaysia (ACEM) &

Electrical and ElectronicsAssociation of Malaysia (TEEAM)

E

vent

Cale

ndar

PublicationCalendar

The following list is thePublication Calendar forthe year 2004. While we

normally seek contributionsfrom experts for eachspecial theme, we are alsopleased to accept articlesrelevant to themes listed.

Please contact the Editor orthe Publication Officer inadvance if you would liketo make such contributionsor to discuss details anddeadlines.

September 2004: ENVIRONMENTDecember 2004: FACILITY MANAGEMENTMarch 2005: CONSTRUCTION LIABILITY


The Board of Engineers Malaysia is introducing an Accredited Checker Registration in geotechnicaland/or structural engineering works in line with the Section 10B of the Registration of Accredited

Checker, Registration of Engineers Act 1967 (Revised 2002).

Several seminar roadshows on Registration of Accredited Checkers are planned throughout Malaysia.All registered professional engineers are invited to attend the Accredited Checkers Seminar scheduledas follows:

State Venue Date Status

Kuala Lumpur Bunga Room, Pan Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur 10/7/2004 Confirmed

Pulau Pinang Equatorial Hotel, Pulau Pinang 24/7/2004 Confirmed

Johor Puteri Pan Pacific Hotel, Johor Bahru 12/8/2004 Tentative

Kuching Merdeka Palace Hotel, Kuching 13/8/2004 Confirmed

Kota Kinabalu Promenade Hotel, Kota Kinabalu 14/8/2004 Confirmed

Terengganu Grand Continental Hotel, Kuala Terengganu To be advised Tentative

Kuala Lumpur Pan Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur To be advised Tentative

Participants will be charged a nominal fee of RM50 each. All interested participants are requested tofill in the registration form and return it to the Board two weeks prior to the event.

ACCREDITED CHECKERS SEMINAR/ROADSHOWS


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Accredited Checkers Day Seminar

I/we would like to register for the above seminar.

I/we enclosed payment amounting to *RM ____________________ by cheque/bank draft/money order/postal order ________________ payable to Board of Engineers Malaysia. Please add 0.50 cent foroutstation cheque.

Name:..........................................................................................................................................................................................

Professional Engineer Registration No.:............................................................................................................................

Designation : ......................................................................................................................................................................

Company : ......................................................................................................................................................................

Address : ......................................................................................................................................................................

Telephone : ......................................................................................................................................................................

Facsimile : ......................................................................................................................................................................

E-mail : ......................................................................................................................................................................

Contact Person : ......................................................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................Name:Date:

Terms & Conditions•

Confirmation and reservation will be on first-come-first-serve basis.• Any cancellation or replacement must be conveyed to the Accredited Checkers Secretariat before thedeadline.

• Paid registration is not refundable for any cancellation made after deadline.• All completed forms should reach the address below two weeks prior to the event.*Participants will be charged a fee of RM50 each.

Accredited Checkers Secretariat

Board of Engineers Malaysia

Tingkat 17, Ibu Pejabat JKRKompleks Kerja Raya MalaysiaJalan Sultan Salahuddin50580 Kuala LumpurTel: 03-2698 0590 / 03-2696 7095 Fax: 03-2692 5017E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected]: www.bem.org.my

REGISTRATION FORM

L E M B A G A

J U R U T E R A

MALAYSIA

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Update


Following the collapse of Block 1, Highland Tower apartmentson December 11, 1993, the Cabinet decided to implementseveral corrective and preventive actions.

Malaysian authorities have been instructed to look intovarious legislations that regulate the building industry in thecountry. After careful study of the various Acts, the Ministryof Housing and Local Government found that the Street,Drainage and Building Act 1974 needs to be amended totighten control of building development especiallydevelopment on hill slopes.

The Ministry has decided to revise the Street, Drainage

and Building Act 1974 and Uniform Building By-laws 1984 toaddress the need for Accredited Checkers to enhance the safetyaspect of geotechnical and structural engineering works atthe design and/or construction stage of a project.

The Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) has taken theinitiative to amend the Registration of Engineers Act 1967 tointroduce a registration of Accredited Checkers on geotechnicaland structural engineering works. This in line with the requestfrom the Ministry of Housing and Local Government tomaintain a list of Accredited Checkers for the purpose of checking structural and geotechnical engineering works toensure safety of buildings.

What Is Accredited Checker?

An Accredited Checker means a person registered underSection 10B, Registration of Engineers (Amendment) Act 2002[Act A1158].

The Accredited Checker who shall be an independentchecker*, is required to check the safety aspect of geotechnicaland structural engineering works at the design and/orconstruction stage of a project done by another engineer andas and when called for by local authorities.

* shall preserve his independence and has no professional or financial

interest in the said building checked by him/her.

Why Accredited Checker?

One of the measures to prevent structural failures on hillsites is to require the geotechnical and structural designs forbuildings to be checked by an Accredited Checker.

The Accredited Checker could be appointed at thebeginning of the project to enable the Accredited Checker towork alongside the design engineer. An Accredited Checkercould be appointed at any stage as ordered by a local authorityfor a new project.

Who Can Apply?

An Accredited Checker shall:i) be a Professional Engineer registered under the Act in

the civil, structural or geotechnical engineering discipline;

Accredited Checkers Registration

ii) have at least 10 years relevant practical experience inthe design or construction of buildings;

iii) have practical experience in one of the following:a) Geotechnical

1) Foundations;2) Retaining Systems and Reinforced Soil Structures;

and3) Slope Engineering and Embankments

b) Structural1) Buildings greater than five storeys;2) Buildings of unconventional construction with span

greater than 10 metres; and3) Buildings adjacent to existing buildings with

complex interaction;iv) by virtue of his/her ability, standing in the profession or

special knowledge or practical experience in civil,structural or geotechnical engineering he/she is deservingof such registration, provideda) during the period seven years immediately preceding

the date of his/her application, has been engaged ingeotechnical or structural design after registration asProfessional Engineer; and

b) for a continuous period of one year immediately

preceding the date of his/her application, has had suchpractical experience in the relevant field gained inMalaysia; and

v) have attended and passed the interview conducted bythe Accredited Checkers Committee.

How To Apply?

All applications shalli. be made in Form B3; (obtainable from BEM’s office or

www.bem.org.my )ii. be accompanied by a copy of CV on the qualifications and

practical experience highlighting the specific areas and level

of responsibilities involved in the project(s);iii. be accompanied by three copies of actual design or review

report done by the applicant; andiv. be accompanied by a processing fee of RM50 and a

registration fee of RM300 in money order/bank draft/chequemade payable to the Board of Engineers Malaysia

All inquiries pertaining to the Registration of AccreditedCheckers shall be submitted to:Registration DepartmentBoard of Engineers MalaysiaTingkat 17, Ibu Pejabat JKRKompleks Kerja Raya MalaysiaJalan Sultan Salahuddin, 50580 Kuala LumpurTel: 603-2696 7095/96/97/98 Fax: 603-2692 5017e-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected] website: www.bem.org.my

BEM


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Update


FUNCTIONS

Promote integrated management and use of

freshwaters,

Enhance environmental quality and

Promote environmentally-sustainable socio-

economic development.

In fulfilling this Mission, the Freshwater Unit is continuing

its fundamental work in promoting the integrated

management and use of freshwater resources ininternational drainage basins and in facilitating

development of training materials and courses that

contribute to this Mission. UNEP has been designated by

the UN Secretary General as the UN agency with

responsibility for global mandates for water. Within this

mandate, the Mission of the Freshwater Unit is to provide

tools and advice.

OPERATION

The Freshwater Unit facilitates the environmentally-sustainable management and use of freshwater resources,

particularly for internationally-shared water resources.

It is also:

Developing And Conducting International,

Regionally-Focused Workshops On:

The application of region-specific and practical

economic instrumentals,

Eutrophication and non point source pollution control

techniques for management of freshwater resources,

and

The reduction of pollution impacts of mining

activities.

These workshops and related training materials and texts

provide countries with a range of techniques to address

the water-specific issues of sustainable development.

Completing Comprehensive Scientific Reviews Of

The Major Geochemical Cycles,

including assessment of their impacts on freshwater

resources, to enhance environmental quality worldwide.

UNEP Freshwater UnitSubmitted by Lim Juay Jin

Collaborative Efforts To Identify, Assess And

Promote Appropriate Technologies

for freshwater augmentation and drinking water

protection on a regional basis are being carried out in

association with UNEP’s International Environment

Technology Centre (IETC) and other United Nations

agencies.

The Freshwater Unit also undertaking collaborative

efforts with UNEP’s Oceans and Coasteal Areas Unit to

integrated planning activities in freshwater drainage

basins and the coastal areas into which they drain. Initial

efforts focus on the East Asian Regional Seas Programme

activity area and are of particular significance to

governments in the context of the assessment and

control of land-based sources of aquatic pollution

provisions of the United Nations Convention of the Law

of Sea.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

The development of innovative techniques and

approaches through the publication of a range of public

information and awareness-building materials on global,

regional and sub-regional freshwater resource problems

and solutions, including brochures and reports for policy

makers, provides the means by which the Freshwater

Unit is contributing to sustainable socio-economic

development. In this regard, the Freshwater Unit, in

collaboration with UNEP’s GEMS/ Water Programme

Activity Centre, is involved in several fundamental

components of a multi-agency effort, including synthesis

of experiences on the river basin scale, in relation to

integrated management of freshwater resources. These

activities complement and support national efforts to

implement Agenda 21.

Project management using the environmentally-sound

management of inland waters (EMINWA) planning

framework.

Technical reports and studies on water issues.

Training courses, workshops and supporting materials,

specific to their region of application. Public awareness materials on water resources

management.

Water resources management technology transfer. BEM


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BEMnews

A dinner was organized on

May 5, 2004 in conjunction

with the gazetting of theRegistration of Engineers

(Amendment) Act 2002, and in

appreciation of engineers who have

been active in helping the Board of

Engineers Malaysia.

The Guest of Honour for the night

was YB Dato’ Seri S. Samy Vellu,

Minister of Works, Malaysia. In his

speech, read by Deputy Minister of

Works , YB Dato ’ Ir. Mohd . Zin

Mohamed, the Minister encouraged

young engineering graduates to

register with the BEM before they start

practising. To Professional Engineers,

YB Dato’ Seri Samy Vellu stressed that

they must not certify works that they

have not supervised

BEM President, Tan Sri Dato’ Ir.

Zaini Omar highlighted some of the

amendments of the Registration of

Engineers Act and reminded all

registered engineers that:

only full-fledged engineers

registered under the Act as

Professional Engineers shall be

entitled:-

- to submit plans, engineering

surveys, drawings, schemes,

proposals, reports, design or

studies to any person or

authority in Malaysia

- to practice, carry on business

or take up employment which

requires them to carry out or

perform professional

engineering services

- to be ent it led to describe

themselves or hold themselves

out under any name, style or

title:

bearing the words

“Professional Engineer” or

the equivalent in any other

language

using the abbreviation “Ir.”

and “P.Eng.” before and

after his name

BEM Dinner

YB Dato’ Ir. Mohd Zin Mohamed,delivering the Minister of Works’ address

BEM President YBhg Tan Sri Dato’ Ir. Zaini delivering his speech

YB Dato’ Ir. Mohd Zin presenting a special gift to YBhg Dato’ Ir. Ng Chong Yuen,Immediate Past President of BEM (2002-2003).

be entitled to recover in any

court any fee, charge,

remuneration for any

professional engineering

services rendered to uphold the dignity, high

standing and reputation of the

profession

to have full regard for public

safety with complete fidelity to

client

not to maliciously injure the

professional reputation, prospect or

business of another engineer, and

not to canvass or solicit

professional employment

Among the dinner programmes

was a Certificate Presentation to the

Examiners for Professional

Assessment Examination (PAE) and

Panel Evaluators for Engineering

Accreditation Council (EAC).

BEM Dinner L E M B A G A

J U R U T E R A

MALAYSIA



BEMnews

A group photo of examiners for Professional Assessment Examination (PAE) and Panel Evaluators for Engineering AccreditationCouncil (EAC)

(L to R) Ir. Izlan Robert Abdullah, Ir. Prof. Dr. KS Kanan, Ir. Prof. Madya Dr. Mohammad Nor Berhan, Ir. Prof. Dr. Zainal AbidinAhmad, YBhg Dato’ Ir. Ng Chong Yuen, YB Dato’ Ir. Mohd Zin Mohamed, YBhg Tan Sri Dato’ Ir. Zaini Omar, Ir. Chan Cheong Loong,Ir. Tengku Abdul Aziz Tengku Haris, Ir. Prof. Dr. Yusoff Ali, Ir. Jeena a/l Vengadasalam, Ir. Dr. Ramlee Karim

YB Dato’ Ir. Mohd ZinMohamed sharing a joke

with the BEM President

BEM


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Water resources

development has

been a catalyst for

s o c i o e c o n o m i c

development of the country. However,

the water situation for some parts of

the country has changed from one of

relative abundance to one of scarcity.

The growth in population andexpansion in urbanisation,

industrialisation and irrigated

agriculture are imposing growing

demands and pressure on water

resources, besides contributing to

rising water pollution. Any new

development of water resources incurs

rising costs, besides having to face

rigorous scrutinisation from

environmentalists and

conservationists. The fact that the

volume of water available is finite andthe demand for water is increasing

indicates that the supply approach in

water management is unsustainable.

WORLD SCENARIO

Water is a global issue. The World

Water Vision Report, 2000

acknowledged that there is a global

water crisis. The crisis is not about

having too little water to satisfy our

needs. It is a crisis of managing water

so badly that billions of people -and

the environment- suffer badly.

Lack of water services is one of

the most important physical signs of

extreme poverty. As estimated in the

Global Water Supply and Sanitation

Assessment 2000 Report by World

Health Organisation (WHO) and

United Nations Children’s Fund

(UNICEF), globally, in the year 2000,

1.1 billion people had no access to

improved water supply and 2.4 billion

were without access to improvedsanitation. Two thirds of people

without access to improved water

supply and approximately 80% of

those without access to improved

sanitation in the world live in Asia.

An estimated 670 million people in

Asia lack access to improved water

supply, while an estimated 1.9 billion

lack adequate sanitation, representing

18% and 52% of the region’s

population, respectively.

According to WHO, a child dies

every 15 seconds, on a worldwidebasis, from diarrhoea, caused largely

by poor sanitation and water supply.

Diarrhoeal diseases have killed more

children in the last 10 years than all

people lost to armed conflicts since

World War II. Water, sanitation and

hygiene interventions have been

shown to reduce sickness from

diarrhoea by between 25% and 33%.

Furthermore, as a determinant of

quality of life, water is as decisive as

the very air we breathe.In the Millennium Declaration,

2000, 191 heads of States and

Governments pledged to ‘reduce by

half the proportion of people without

access to safe drinking water’ by 2015.

The Johannesburg Summit of

September 2002 – the World Summit

on Sustainable Development –

brought together tens of thousands

of participants, including heads of

States and Governments, to focus the

world’s attention and direct action

towards meeting difficult challenges,

including improving people’s lives

and conserving natural resources. The

Johannesburg Summit Declaration

agreed that the Millennium

Declaration’s water supply goal

should be extended to include

sanitation as well. Agreement was

also reached in developing integrated

water resources management and

water efficiency plans by 2005.

The world would face a bleak

future if we continue to adoptbusiness as usual. The potential

problems include deforestation, rise

in sea level, decreasing crop yields,

water conflicts, increased severity/

frequency of tropical storms,

widespread outbreak of diseases and

declining fish population.

MALAYSIAN SCENARIO

Under the Constitution, matters

pertaining to natural resources such

as land, mines, forest and water supply fall under the jurisdiction of

the states. Water supply becomes a

Federal matter only if a dispute arises

in the case of a river basin, which

crosses state boundary. State

Governments are responsible for the

development, operation and

maintenance of water supplies. Since

water is important for socio-economic

development of the nation, the

Federal Government provides soft

loans to State Governments for publicwater supply infrastructure and grant

for rural water supply development.

At the Federal level, the National

Water Resources Council (NWRC) was

set up in 1998 to pursue a more

effective water management,

including the implementation of

inter-state water transfers. To ensure

sustainable water resources and

efficient water supply services, the

Federal Government is moving

towards greater involvement in the

management of water resources and

water supply services, and the

implementation of integrated water

resources management.

The national water supply

coverage in 2003 is 93%, that is 97%

and 86% for urban and rural areas

respectively. The estimated population

in 2003 is 24.5 million with urban-

rural proportion of 60:40.

Sewerage services fall under the

Joint List of the Federal Constitution.

The Federal Government providesgrant for sewerage infrastructure. The

provision of sewerage services was

privatised to Indah Water Konsortium

(IWK) in 1993. There are 144 local

Water Resources Management InMalaysia – The Way ForwardBy YM Raja Dato’ Zaharaton Raja Zainal Abidin, Director General, Economic Planning Unit

Water Resources Management InMalaysia – The Way Forward


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authorities in the country and IWK has

taken over the management and

provision of sewerage services in 84

local authorities. The IWK Concession

Agreement does not cover the states

of Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak.

The Engineering Division of theMinistry of Health provides sewerage

facilities to rural communities. A

Sanitation Commission will be

established to formulate economic and

safety regulations to safeguard public

interest and promote the development

of sewerage and solid waste

management.

In 2002, the provision of sewerage

services that falls under the jurisdiction

of the concessionaire covers a

population of 16 million whilst thesewerage facilities provided by the

Ministry of Health cover a rural

population of 7.6 million. The

estimated population in 2002 is 24.1

million.

WATER SUPPLY SECTOR

The increased demand for

clean water has led to

competition in water use among

the various water user sectors

and the continued economicgrowth will magnify this even

more acutely. The practicable

limit of surface water resources

development has been reached

in regions of high demand, and

it has become necessary to consider

inter-basin and inter-state water

transfers.

The current approaches towards

water supply in cities are supply-

driven – when there’s a “shortage”,

new sources are developed. This‘business as usual’ approach is no

longer sustainable because of the

ever-increasing water demand. Water

demand management that focuses on

conservation measures to make better

use of limited supplies would be an

appropriate approach.

Inter-State Raw Water Transfer

The Government is planning to

implement a major inter-state raw

water transfer project, that is, from

Pahang to Selangor. The project will

transfer 2,260 million litres of water

per day (mld). Water will be captured

by Kelau Dam, which is an earth dam

with a height of 30 metres and

reservoir area of 24 square kilometres.

Water from Kelau Dam in Pahang will

be released to Semantan River via

Kelau River. The Semantan Intake and

Pumping Station will then transfer the

water via dual pipelines to the tunnel

inlet. The length of each pipe is 11.8km with a diameter of 3 m. The tunnel

transfers the water across the Main

Range to Langat 2 Water Treatment

Plant (WTP) in Selangor. The length

of the tunnel is 44.6 km and its

diameter is 5.2 m. During the

construction of the tunnel, four adits

will be constructed (that is, two in

Pahang and two in Selangor) for the

removal of spoil materials. Langat 2

WTP will be constructed in three

phases according to the planned volume of water to be transferred

from Pahang to Selangor; First Phase

– 1,000 mld; Second Phase – 500 mld;

and Third Phase – 760 mld.

Major projects are carried out

through a participatory approach in

order to incorporate the views of the

stakeholders in the decision-making

process. For example, in the case of

Pahang-Selangor Inter-State Raw Water

Transfer Project, besides undertaking aDetailed Environmental Impact

Assessment (DEIA) of the project, the

project-affected people, together with

the NGOs that have shown interest in

the project, were involved in the

planning process. This participatory

approach will ensure that the project-

affected people will benefit from the

implementation of the project and

minimal disturbance is created to the

environment.

Water Demand

Management Initiatives

Business as usual in the water

supply sector is unsustainable. Water

demand management that seeks to

maximise the usage of water, also

conserves water and thus limits the need

for new supplies. In 1999, the

Government produced a guideline

entitled Guidelines for Installing A

Rainwater Collection and Utilisation

System, which was circulated todevelopers and relevant agencies. The

guideline documents some of the ways

in which rainwater can be collected

from roofs of buildings and the practical

utilisation of rainwater. More than 50%

of the domestic water use does not need

treated water quality. In June 2002, the

Government imposed a condition for

the installation of 6-litre toilet flushing

systems in new buildings.

The programme of reducing non-

revenue water (NRW) and rehabilitationof water treatment plants and

distribution pipes is an on-going

programme in every five-year

development plan. In the Eighth

Malaysia Plan (2001-2005),

nearly RM1 billion is allocated for

the programme of NRW

reduction and rehabilitation of

water supply systems. The

campaigns on water conservation

awareness by the water supply

sectors and water resources

agencies are undertaken on acontinuous basis.

SEWERAGE SECTOR

Sewage is one of the major

pollutants of our water bodies. A

reliable and efficient sewerage system

is undoubtedly a vital contributing

factor towards the improvement in

environmental health of the nation.

The municipal sewerage services are

provided by the concessionaire andlocal authorities, whilst the

Department of Sewerage Services is

entrusted with the responsibilities of

overseeing and regulating sewerage

development in the country.

The Ministry of Health, through

its Engineering Division, implements

the rural sanitation programme. The

most effective and cheap method for

disposal of excreta in rural areas is

by pour-flush latrines. The

construction of sanitary latrines

provides the means to initiate the

effort to educate the rural population

on the use of a more comfortable and

hygienic method for the disposal of

excreta.


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12/47

Cities are well-known for being

polluters of the aquatic environment

with sewage and municipal

wastewater, industrial effluents and

polluted urban runoffs. The

Government has undertaken a

National Sewerage Project, which ismade up of 13 projects that cover the

Klang Valley and the major urban

centres in the west coast of Peninsular

Malaysia – Kangar, Alor Setar,

Butterworth, Bukit Mertajam,

Seremban, Port Dickson and Melaka.

The project components are made up

of 10 sewerage treatment plants

(STPs), three centralised sludge

treatment facilities (CSTF) and a

network with a total length of 117

kilometres. The National SewerageProject will be extended into the next

plan period, Ninth Malaysia Plan,

2006-2010.

INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES

MANAGEMENT (IWRM)

The management of water

resources should be based on sound

policies and strengthened institutional

arrangements. The first step towards

IWRM in Malaysia was realised with

the formation of Selangor Water Management Authority in 1999. This

authority is commonly known as

LUAS (Lembaga Urus Air Selangor )

and was formed with the aim of

adopting and implementing IWRM at

the river basin level within the state

of Selangor.

An in teg ra ted riv er ba sin

management project is being

undertaken in two river basins,

namely Selangor River and Kedah

River, in order to establish aframework for integrated

management of river basins and their

water resources. A Sarawak IWRM

Master Plan Study will also be

implemented during the remaining

Eighth Malaysia Plan Period (2001-

2005), with the objective of

formulating a master plan for the

integrated development and

management of Sarawak’s water

resources.

A national study for the effective

implementation of IWRM in Malaysia

is being planned with the aims of

creating awareness and generating

advocacy in IWRM nationwide,

developing capacity building of

implementing agencies in IWRM and

developing best management

practices in IWRM within the

Malaysian context.

The programmes on river

rehabilitation are carried out on

selected rivers with the objectives of pollution abatement and water

quality improvement. The Klang

River Clean Up Programme involves

construction, maintenance and

desilting activities, education and

beautification programmes,

relocation of squatters, rehabilitation

of aquatic life, treatment of animal

waste and water pollution control.

Integrated action plans were

formulated towards pollution

abatement and water quality improvement in the following rivers:

Langat, Segget, Tebrau and Skudai.

THE WAY FORWARD

There is a political will to improve

the Malaysian water sector. This is

manifested in the formation of the

new Cabinet after the recent 11th

General Elections. The national water

sector is now being addressed with

respect to improving services and

conserving resources through theformation of the Ministry of Energy,

Water and Communications, and the

Ministry of Natural Resources and

Environment respectively. The

function of water supply services in

the Ministry of Works and the

Department of Sewerage Services in

the Ministry of Housing and Local

Government will be transferred to the

Ministry of Energy, Water and

Communications. The Department of

Irrigation and Drainage (DID) in theMinistry of Agriculture will be

transferred to the Ministry of Natural

Resources and Environment. DID is

the custodian of the National

Hydrological Network and is

responsible for flood forecasting and

the management of rivers, floods,

urban drainage/stormwater runoff

and coastal zones. In other words,

DID is responsible for surface water

resources. The Department of Mineral

and Geosciences that is responsible

for groundwater resources is already

in the Ministry of Natural Resources

and Environment.

An individual problem in the

national water sector, such as NRW,

cannot be solved in isolation. It can

only be effectively addressed after

the core problems have been

resolved. These problems include

poor governance, low tariffs and lack

of funds. Measures to resolve the

problems may include transparentpolicies, independent regulatory

bodies, a paradigm shift in tariffs,

the involvement of civil society and

the involvement of the Federal

Government in water services and

management of water resources.

We must rethink water

management. Water is everybody’s

responsibility and we are part of the

solution. We no longer live in the

era in which we could have indefinite

expansion of water services andsupplies. We have to focus on how

we use water. That’s where new water

will be ‘found’. The water authorities,

purveyors and consumers must play

their role in water resources and

supply conservation from capture to

consumption and to wastewater

discharge.

The effective implementation of

IWRM will contribute to the

realisation of a sustainable national

water sector. Reforms and initiatives

are needed towards providingadequate as well as an enabling

environment for the effective and

efficient implementation of IWRM.

IWRM formulates and implements a

course of action involving the

management of water and related

resources to achieve optimum

allocation of water resources within

a catchment or river basin. The scope

of IWRM is wide and it may be

addressed in the following ways;

integration of different componentsof water; integration of water with

related land and environmental

resources; and integration of water

with social and economic

development.

At the international level, there

is a need for sustained and adequate

financing for the development of

water supply and sewerage

infrastructure in developing

countries. This is crucial because the

availability of basic water supply and

sewerage infrastructure is a

prerequisite to economic

development, poverty eradication

and improvement of the quality of

life of the people.


BEM

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Managing Water Supply In Selangor And Kuala Lumpur

By Ir. V. Subramaniam, Pengurus Besar Operasi, Perbadanan Urus Air Selangor Berhad

PUAS Bhd, the newly corporatised Selangor Water Management Company is a successor company toJabatan Bekalan Air Selangor, taking over its functions and duties to manage the distribution of potable water to five million consumers including industries and commercial buildings in Selangorand the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. Although the production of treated water

and water treatment have achieved world-class standards, there is still much to be done in themanaging and distribution of the treated water to the consumers. This paper highlights severalproblems related to the management of water supply in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, and outlinessome strategies to overcome these problems in phases so that water supply managed by PUAS Bhdwill be of world-class standard in all respects.

W

ater supply in

Selangor and Kuala

Lumpur is managed

by the newly corporatised Selangor Water

Management Company (PUAS Bhd),

a successor company to Jabatan

Bekalan Air Selangor. PUAS Bhd

presently manages a supply of 3,500

million litres of water per day to about

1.3 million domestic and industrial

consumers (accounts) in Selangor and

the Federal Territories of Kuala

Lumpur and Putrajaya.

Since the 1990s, the production

facilities have all been privatised,

including the development of new

source works such as the Selangor

River Water Supply Scheme Phases 2

and 3 on a ‘build-operate-transfer’

basis. The Water Supply Department

then, now a wholly State-owned

corporatised company, buys the

treated water in bulk from the

concession companies, distributes the

water to its consumers through a

network of some 13,500 km of pipelines and does the billing and

collection as well. Although it has

achieved world-class standard in

water treatment construction of

modern water treatment plants

equipped with up-to-date water

treatment facilities and water quality

monitoring systems, there is stillmuch to be done in the managing

and distribution of the treated water

to the consumers. In recent years, a

lot of problems have arisen in the

distribution of water to the

consumers. The major problems

surfaced in 1998 when the Klang

Valley was hit by a water crisis due

to severe drought and suffered from

water shortage for a period of six

months. This paper highlights

several problems related to the

management of water supply in

Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, and

outlines some strategies to overcome

these problems in phases so that

water supply managed by PUAS Bhd

will be of world-class standard in all

respects. By world-class standard,

it means that one does not have any

doubt whatsoever in drinking water

direct from the tap and one could

also enjoy the full reliability of water supply in terms of both quality and

quantity. A world-class water utility

company must also provide excellent

customer services, show an efficient

Achieving World-Class Water

Utility Company Standard

economic performance and have

good corporate governance, all of

these benchmarked against some of

the leading water utility companiesin the world.

CURRENT STATUS OF

WATER SUPPLY

Under the Federal Constitution of

Malaysia, water supply matters are the

responsibility of the States. The State

Governments are responsible for the

development of water resources,

production, operation and

maintenance of public water supplies

in their respective states. The States

operate the supplies through either the

State Public Works Departments, State

Water Supply Departments, State

Water Supply Boards or State Water

Supply Corporations, and more

recently private companies. The State

Government of Selangor has been

operating the water supply in

Selangor, including the Federal

Territories of Kuala Lumpur andPutrajaya, through the State

Waterworks Department, which was

then the Selangor Water Supply

Department (JBAS). Since March 15,

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2002, JBAS was corporatised as a

wholly State-owned company in the

name of Selangor Water Management

Company or PUAS Bhd.

PUAS Bhd is responsible for the

supply of potable water to five million

consumers, including industries and

commercial buildings. PUAS Bhd

manages a supply of 3,500 million

litres of water per day and 1.3 million

consumer accounts, including the

billing and collection. The company

also maintains a distribution network

of about 13,500 km. PUAS Bhd is

governed by a Board of Directors

comprising State Government officials

and members of the public. In general,

the water industry in Selangor consists

of three main water concession

companies – Puncak Niaga (M) Sdn

Bhd, Syarikat Pengeluar Air Sungai

Selangor Sdn Bhd and Konsortium

the consumers. There is also a

Regulatory Office under the State

Government to oversee and regulate

the water industry in the State. Figure

1 shows the overall structure of the

water industry in the state of Selangor.

Figure 2 shows the respective

responsibilities of the water concession

companies and PUAS Bhd.

Water supply operation in Selangor

and Kuala Lumpur is divided into

seven regions, each managed by a

Senior Manager. The regional senior

managers are responsible for the

efficient and effective operation and

maintenance of the distribution

system, 100% correct billing, 100%

collection, and customer-oriented andcustomer-friendly services in their

respective regions. The PUAS Bhd

headquarters is located in Kuala

Lumpur and is responsible for the

overall coordination of the entire

PUAS operations, planning and

development, finance and corporate

affairs including all enforcement and

security measures. The total staff

strength of PUAS Bhd currently is

1,388.

Water resources for Selangor andKuala Lumpur are entirely from surface

water sources with the supply drawn

directly from an impounding reservoir

or direct abstraction from rivers

regulated by releases from storage

reservoirs. The present water resources

are adequate to meet the water demand

for Selangor and Kuala Lumpur up to

Table 1: Water Supply Dams In Selangor

Table 2: Water Supply Demand Projections For Selangor And Kuala Lumpur

No. Dam Year Constructed Storage Capacity1 Klang Gates Dam 1959 28,000 ML2 Langat Dam 1979 37,480 ML3 Semenyih Dam 1986 61,400 ML4 Batu Dam 1986 36,000 ML5 Sg. Tinggi Dam 1997 114,500 ML6 Sg. Selangor Dam Under construction 235,000 ML

ABASS Sdn Bhd – responsible for

water production while PUAS Bhd is

responsible for water distribution to

Year Demand (Mld) Supply (Mld) Remarks2002 3,326 3,628 125 Mld ~ Rasa - 12003 3,519 4,028 400 Mld ~ SS3 - 1

2004 3,723 4,028 -2005 3,940 4,428 400 Mld ~ SS3 - 22006 4,170 4,428 -2007 4,413 4,553 125 Mld ~ Rasa - 22008 4,671 4,553 Deficit of 118 Mld

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the year 2007 and the quality of water

supplied is in full compliance with

WHO International Standards for Drinking Water. There are five large

dams in the State operated for water

supply purposes with another dam

under construction. Table 1 shows the

capacities of the various dams in the

State.

Figure 3 shows the location of the

various dams in Selangor.

The demand for water in Selangor

and Kuala Lumpur grows at an

average rate of 6% per year. Table 2

shows the water supply demandprojections and the planning for water

supply until the year 2007.

There are presently six major

water treatment plants and 25 other

smaller water treatment plants in the

State with a total supply capacity of

3,628 Mld, sufficient to meet the

present demand. Table 3 shows the

production capacity of water

treatment plants in Selangor and

Kuala Lumpur.

Figure 4 and Figure 5 show the

locations of the various treatment

plants in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.

Beyond 2007, the State

Government, together with the

Federal Government, is planning to

source water from a neighbouring

state. The neighbouring state of

Pahang has been identified for this

inter-state water transfer project,

which is in an advanced stage of

planning and design. Basically, theproject entails the abstraction of

surface water regulated by storage

reservoirs and transfer of raw water

through a 5.2 m diameter 47-km long

Table 3: Water Treatment Plants In Selangor And Kuala Lumpur

tunnel. The present planned capacity

of the project is 2,260,000 m3/day.

Figure 6 shows the projected water demand and treatment works

capacity.

NON-PROBLEMATIC AREAS

Since the 1990s, the operation

and maintenance/management of

the source works including the

water treatment plants have been

privatised to three major companies,

namely Puncak Niaga (M) Sdn Bhd,

Syarikat Pengeluar Air Sungai

Selangor Sdn Bhd and Konsortium

ABASS Sdn Bhd through long-term

(25-30 years) concession

agreements. Some of these

concession agreements also involve

capital works such as the building

of a new dam, water treatment

plants and laying of new trunk main

pipelines based on the build-operate-transfer (BOT) concept of

privatisation.

1 Bukit Nanas 1966 1362 Sg. Langat 1980 477

3 Sg. Batu 1980 1144 Sg. Semenyih 1986 6365 Sg. Selangor Phase 1 1995 9506 Sg. Selangor Phase 2 2000 9507 Rasa Phase 1 2001 125

Sub-total: 3,3888 25 other smaller plants - 240

TOTAL: 3,628

No. Water Treatment Plant Year ProductionConstructed Capacity (Mld)

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Ever since the privatisation of

water production facilities, the

quality of treated water supplied to

consumers from all of the privatised

treatment plants is much better than

the WHO International Standards

for Drinking Water. In fact, it can

be said to be of world-class standard

comparable to those of developed

countries. The reason water quality

has reached world-class standard is

the stringent conditions in the

privatisation concession agreements.

Table 4 gives a comparison of the

WHO Standards and the actual quality

of water produced by the six major

privatised treatment plants in respect

of some parameters.

The standard of operation and

maintenance of these privatised

treatment plants has also vastly

improved. In this respect, it is

imperative that the private operators

keep their costs low by cutting down

on wastages, optimising labour as

well as improving efficiency of

operations so as to maintain

profitability. Hence, consumers are

now enjoying an improved level of

service in terms of both reliability andquality on the production side.

MAJOR PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED

Water is essent ial to life. The

recent water crisis in 1998 has shown

Figure 6

Table 4: Average Water Quality Produced By The Major Treatment Plants

Parameter Major Treatment Plants WHO StandardSSF 1 SSF 2 SEMENYIH LANGAT B.NANAS BATU

Turbidity 0.67 0.6 1.38 1.18 0.51 0.49


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One reason for this situation is

that the huge cost of financing

source works such as the building of

the new treatment plants, the Sg.

Selangor dam and trunk main pipes

has been built into the purchase cost

of the treated water. The other

reason is that the water tariff charged

to the consumers is still very low and

does not reflect the true cost of

producing and supplying water. Figure

9 shows Malaysia’s water rates

compared with other countries. The

third and a very serious reason is the

high non-revenue water losses. This

is made worse by the distribution

system being old and badly in need of

renewal and repair and not having the

necessary funds to carry out such

works. For instance, the replacement

of the old asbestos cement pipes alone

requires funds in excess of RM1 billion.

A further large amount of capital is

required to carry out active leak

detection works and other programmes

in order to reduce the current high

non-revenue water losses.

STRATEGIES TO OVERCOMEPROBLEMS IN PHASES

The problems faced by PUAS Bhd

as outlined above cannot be resolved

overnight. It will need both time and

the necessary funds to solve these

problems. Hence, the proposal is to

solve the problems in phases and

complete the last phase within a

stipulated timeframe of five to 10

years.

Water Quality Problems

The distribution system is the

biggest asset of the Company and

hence, it must be attended to carefully

and methodically. The problem of

‘dirty’ water can be addressed in the

following manner:

Introduce adequate scours in both

the trunk main pipes and

distribution pipes

Systematic cleaning and flushing

of all the service reservoirs and

pipelines on a scheduled basis

All ‘dead end’ pipes must be looped

Reversal of flows in the pipelines

must be minimised if it cannot be

totally avoided

Studies should be carried out to

ascertain where ‘dirty water’ is

encountered in order of severity

There must be adequate and proper water sampling stations in the

distribution system and sampling

should be well timed to ensure

representative results

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20/47

Distribution Problems

As menti oned ear lier , the

distribution system comprises a large

and complex pipe network some

13,500 km in total length. In order to address distribution problems

effectively, the first thing to do is to

establish a comprehensive and

computerised mapping of the entire

system. The system must also be

complete with:

Hydraulic network modelling

Pressure management and

pressure monitoring systems

Flows and reservoir levels

measurement and monitoring

systems

Telemetry/SCADA/GIS systems

Hence, the performance of the

distribution system must be

constantly monitored through a

central control system. The impact of

every new tee connection to a new

development must be hydraulically

checked to ensure that the existing

consumers are not affected.

Non-Revenue Water Losses

This is a very serious problem and

no effort should be spared in reducing

the NRW.

(i) Immediate action to reduce

NRW:

100% billing through newbilling system called ‘S2B’ and

ensuring correct billing

through close monitoring of

individual consumption

patterns

Consumer supply meter change

‘crash’ programme

An integrated operation to stop

pilferage of water, including

disconnecting all squatters’

supply and giving them proper metered supplies

Water for fire-fighting or any

other use from fire hydrants to

be charged

(ii) Medium/long-term measures

to reduce NRW:

Active leakage control

Pressure management

Renewal/replacement of pipes

based on a comprehensive

‘Asset Management Plan’

Consumer meter exchange

p r o g r a m m e / m e t e r

management and maintenance

New metering policies and

technologies

Scheduled inspection and

maintenance/repair of all

service reservoirs to prevent

overflows and leakage

including all air valves, scour valves and in-line valves

For new development,

pressure and leakage tests of

pipelines to be carried out

after tapping for service

connections

Use of proven quality

materials and standards in the

distribution system

Water loss due to third party

damage to pipelines or newconnections including pipe

diversions and realignment to

be charged

Continuous and strict

enforcement against pilferage

of water

Target NRW reduction of 2%

per year to 15% by the year

2015, as well as monitoring of

unit cost of overall NRW

reduction programme

Customer Service

One of the important

characteristics of a successful

organisation is the ability to put

customer satisfaction as utmost

priority. Described as a customer-

driven organisation, PUAS Bhd will

emphasise proactive listening to

customers’ needs.

Establish customer service levels

Establish Customer Service

Department to focus on customer

services and customer relations

Fully computerised complaints

management centre to ensure

each and every complaint is

attended to within a specified

response time, and complaint

management as key driver in

improving eff ic iency and

service levels

Addres s manpower problems

effectively to ensure customer

satisfaction

Promote bet ter customer

awareness and customer

education

Financial Problems

The current huge financialdeficit is in essence the basic

problem which must be resolved

before trying to solve the other

problems. Solutions are:

Federal Government assistance

Raise water tariff

Other sources of revenue/

charges/taxes

CONCLUSION

Taking into consideration all the

problems highlighted above and the

current huge financial deficit faced

by PUAS Bhd, something has to be

done very quickly. The consumers

are in fact getting to be very

impat ient , judging from the

number and types of complaints

received. Hence, every effort has

got to be made to change the

current situation and to win back

customer confidence. In line with

PUAS Bhd’s Mission Statement of

using information technology to

gain competitive edge and to be

more cost-effective, the Company

is now moving towards a Total

Operation Management System

(TOMS) which is an integrated suite

of applications that automate the

provisioning and sustaining of the

service delivery network of a water company. PUAS Bhd is committed

to stay focused in its efforts to

achieve world-class water utility

company standard. BEM


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21/47

The problems are well-known.

Malaysia is rich in water

resources, but the demand

for clean water is increasing

rapidly and shortage occurs during

dry periods. During the monsoon,floods disrupt the lives of many

people and cause substantial

damages, destruction of property and

loss of lives. Water quality is also a

problem. Though many rivers are still

in good condition, some are severely

polluted with silt, sewage and solid

waste.

The causes of the problems are

complex and cannot be solved

overnight, while the traditional way

of addressing the problems in afragmented manner has proven to be

insufficient. In addition, roles,

responsibilities and authority are not

clearly defined. Thus, DID is often

blamed when a flood occurs, whilst

the real causes may be flash floods

due to urban development,

sedimentation due to earth works or

deforestation, or solid waste that clogs

the drains – areas which are under

the mandate of other agencies.

Similarly, water pollution problems

can only be effectively addressed

through a concerted effort involving

many agencies and huge investments

in wastewater treatment.

So while the present sectoral

approach has its advantages, it has

become evident that there is a need

for a broader, holistic view. Water-

related problems can only be

effectively dealt with through a

collaborative effort by the many stakeholders and with inputs from the

many technical disciplines. It is no

longer enough to look just at the river;

we must now consider the whole

basin. That is what Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) is all

about.

IRBM is not a technical solution.

Rather, it is an approach to water

resources management that takes into

account all factors linked to land and

water resources, including social and

economic activities. Its broad scope

not only covers water resources, but

also environmental management

aspects such as pollution control,

development planning and

biodiversity conservation.

Current Policies

The need for a holistic and

integrated approach is now widely

recognised and is strongly reflected

in Government policies. This is

incorporated into both the Eighth

Malaysia Plan (8MP), (2001-2005) and

the Third Outline Perspective Plan(OPP3), (2001-2010) which encourage

State Governments to establish water

management bodies to ensure proper

planning, monitoring, enforcement

and management of water resources

on a river basin basis.

This policy is not unique. The

Wor ld Summi t fo r Sus tainabl e

Development (WSSD), held in

Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002,called for every nation to institute

holistic management of water

resources and set targets to develop

national integrated water resources

management by 2005. The Third

World Water Forum (3WWF) held in

Kyoto, Japan the following year, also

stressed on the need for an integrated

approach, as have many other

meetings. Hence, this trend towards

integration is global.

How?

Like ‘holistic’ and ‘sustainable’,

‘integration’ has become the current

fad. But what exactly does it mean?

And above all, how do we implement

it?

River basins are important

ecological units and the river itself

reflects all the environmental changes

that occur in the basin – be it changes

in land use or discharges of waste.

However, natural basin borders rarely

coincide with political and

administrative borders, making it

difficult to attend to the ecological

linkages across basins. In addition,

many departments and agencies are

involved, each planning and

managing its particular sector of

water use.

Thus, it is necessary to establish a

mechanism that can mergecoordination and seek cooperation

not only across sectors, but also across

political and administrative borders.

The challenge is how to do it.

Water Resources Management InMalaysia – The Way Forward

By Datuk Ir. Hj. Keizrul Abdullah, Director-General, Department of Irrigation and Drainage; and Bo Christensen,

Chief Technical Advisor, IRBM Project

Integrated River Basin Management


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22/47

One of the quickest ways to

implement IRBM is through the use

of River Basin Master Plans. Such

master plans take into consideration

the needs of the various water sectors

by incorporating and integrating the

various sectoral master plans into an

overall basin plan through a process

of trade-offs aimed at a win-win

approach.

What Are Other Countries Doing?

Since water is an important issue

in many countries, often there are

long traditions for bodies which can

resolve conflicts between various

users. Some of these organisations are

specialised courts that follow legal

procedures. Others are water or river

authorities. In some countries, formal

or informal user groups play important roles in water management.

The Tribunal de las Aguas (Water

Court) of Valencia, Spain, which has

been in existence at least since the

10th century, is one of the earliest

examples.

The responsibilities and mode of

operation of the institutions vary from

country to country. The preferred

institutional set-up needs to reflect

the traditions and history of the

country as well as the nature of theissues to be dealt with. However, most

traditional systems have limited

mandates and they are therefore

rarely able to effectively deal with the

more complex environmental issues

of water resource management.

Many countries have therefore

established new River Basin

Management Institutions or River

Basin Organisations (RBOs), or are in

the process of doing so. RBOs can take

many forms, and some are justmodifications or additions to existing

systems. More radical reforms have

typically only been instituted after a

severe crisis in the water sector.

Although each country is unique,

the challenges they face in river

basin management generally have

some similarities, and it is

worthwhile to examine the

experiences of other countries to see

if their experiences can be appliedin Malaysia in some form.

In Australia, the Murray-Darling

catchment is beset by

unsustainable land use and

excessive water extraction in a

very dry agricultural zone, such

that in some years, no water

reaches the sea. The collaboration

among several neighbouring

states seeks to address negative

impacts by utilising economicinstruments, such as marketable

water rights and other

management tools.

In Indonesia, the Brantas River

basin, with an area of 12,000 km2

and a population of 15 million,

is managed on an IRBM basis by

a state-owned company, PTG-1.

PTG-1 has the responsibility to

manage the water resources and

water infrastructure, includingwater supply, irrigation and flood

mitigation. It is not directly

responsible for water pollution

control or land use, but advises

and supports other agencies.

In Europe , the European Union

Water Framework Directive is a

very ambitious legal initiative in

water resources management. It

gives clear direction for member

states and requires each tointroduce integrated river basin

management plans, to implement

legal and institutional

arrangements and sets a binding

timetable to achieve “good status”

for all water bodies. The actual

implementation of the directive

varies in format with each

participating country, but the

target is clear.

In Denmark, regional councils areresponsible for regional physical

management, natural resources

management, river management,

environmental monitoring and

environmental regulation of

sewage treatment plants and

major industries. The regional

physical plans are updated once

every fourth years. This planning

mechanism, and the fact that all

major environmentalmanagement and most natural

resources management is the

responsibility of a single

organisation, greatly facilitate an

integrated approach. The

multitude of specialised agencies

that are found in Malaysia is

practically absent. Environmental

services are generally provided by

the municipalities. The Ministry

of Environment gives guidance

and regulations, and, in case of appeals, may overrule some

decisions made by the regional

councils or the municipalities.

In France, the country has been

divided into six “river basins”

where the water resources are

managed in an integrated

manner. For each basin, there is

a committee which has the role

to establish partnerships and

coordinate the actions of publicauthorities and developers. The

daily work is carried out by six

water agencies. The river basin

committees also mobilise the

financial resources for water

investments. Master plans and

schemes for water development

and management play an

important role in water

management. In addition, there is

a number of local water

communities which can play anactive role in achieving the

objectives.

In the United States, the Clean

Water Act requires the states to

prepare and maintain a

continuing planning process that

includes Water Quality

Management plans. These plans

should have a watershed focus,

but are more limited in scope than

the EU plans.

These models may help to provide

guidance, but ultimately, the

solutions must be found locally.


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IRBM Planning

Planning is a key element of

IRBM. It helps define environmental

issues and considers the interests of

various stakeholders. Planning sets

the stage for integration and is aprerequisite for consistent

implementation of policies, including

the allocation of water resources,

pollution abatement, zoning, granting

of permissions and licences, and

others. Each element of the plan

requires a strategy by the authorities.

Henceforth, decisions can be made in

a systematic and transparent manner

that is able to withstand public

scrutiny.

The aim of the IRBM plan is thus

to provide overall guidance. Its intent

is not to dwell on management

details, but to establish priorities and

balance the various sector interests

in a way that facilitates clear and

specific actions to address the main

issues. It is crucial that an IRBM plan

adequately covers and integrates the

full array of water concerns, such as

resources use and flood mitigation,

wastewater treatment, and catchment

protection and zoning. Planning

requires a long-term vision to seek appropriate environmental

investments that fulfill the entire

objectives of IRBM. The IRBM plan

should identify measures to achieve

the planning objectives and specify

concrete short-term and long-term

actions.

Legal And Institutional Framework

Malaysia already has several

examples of integrated watershed,

catchment or river basin planning.

Most initiatives have been in the form

of IRBM plans, each with its own

strengths and weaknesses. Most plans

have been prepared by a single

agency and this gives a bias that is

reflected in the plans.

The challenge is how to improve

the implementation of IRBM. Do we

create new institutions? Do we add

responsibilities to existing agencies?

Can we merely amend legal and

administrative frameworks to handlethe job or are major changes required?

The Sabah Water Resources

Enactment of 1998 was an early and

important step towards integrated

management, as it created the first

legal framework for IRBM in

Malaysia. In Peninsular Malaysia,

Selangor pioneered the new paradigm

with the creation of LUAS in 1999.

The environmental conditions and

economic situation of each state mustbe considered before designing a

model that fits into the local legal and

institutional system. Nevertheless,

there are many similarities between

the states and it should be possible to

give general recommendations and

create a model legislation that the

states can adapt and adopt.

Institutional Challenges

It is easy to identify the

challenges, namely to:

Achieve effective and efficient

integration

Maintain expertise, skills and

focus of specialised agencies Avoid creation of bureaucratic

complications Develop frameworks with clear

mandates

Streamline legislation,

administration and procedures

Ensure stakeholder participation

But how are these challenges best

met?

The IRBM Project

To examine these issues, the

Government of Malaysia has initiated

the IRBM Project in cooperation with

the Government of Denmark. The

project is working with two models

viz. in the Selangor River Basin and

the Kedah River Basin, which at first

glance appear to be quite different.

Selangor has established a new

institution, LUAS, with its own

enactment for water resources

management, while Kedah, at least

initially, is using a more informal

approach with an inter-agency

committee chaired by the State

Economic Planning Unit (UPEN).

A closer look reveals that there is,

in fact, a range of common features.

Both models recognise thatcooperation with a range of

specialised agencies and other

stakeholders is critical, no matter how

wide the mandate of the water agency.

Both models therefore depend on

inter-agency or stakeholder

committees and sub-committees or

working groups to deal with special

issues.

A very common way to deal with

issues that involve different

stakeholders, in Malaysia as well as

in other countries, is to establish a

committee. This can be done easily,

requires no legal changes and can be

an effective coordination mechanism

that brings the key stakeholders

together.

There are many types of

committees. Some have strong

political support and are very active,

and they can be very effective – both

as temporary committees established

to solve a particular problem, and as

standing committees that have a more

permanent nature. Other committees

are established to put an inconvenientissue on hold until the political or

public interest has diminished, and

this kind is naturally not very active.

There is also a more common type,

which initially is active, but as other

issues prop up and take priority on

the busy agenda of the main

stakeholders, the activity declines and

the committee may even become

dormant. This is a natural process in

the life of committees. They all pass

through various phases. For a

committee to remain active, it needs

a dedicated chairman, the active

support of the members and the

backing of a dynamic secretariat.

The IRBM approach is a challenge

for water administration in Malaysia.

The IRBM project acknowledges that

strong relationships between Federal

and State agencies are fundamental

for achieving positive results. This

project is still in its early stage, and it

will continue to explore the right

opportunities and models for integrated resource management to

overcome past problems and move

forward towards revitalising the

nation’s rivers.


BEM

coverfeature


24/47

Work Programme - A Contractual Perspective


By Ir. Harbans Singh K.S., B.E (Mech) S’pore, P.E., C.Eng,LLB(Hons) London, CLP, DipICArb.

Work Programme - A Contractual Perspective

ALTERATION/REVISION TO PROGRAMME

Bearing in mind the desire to maintain flexibility,

the contractor should be afforded the possibility of

amending or revising the programme as and when he

so desires. However, because of the effect of the

contractor’s approved programme on the contract

administrator’s obligations i.e. to furnish information,

drawings, details, give necessary approvals, etc. such

flexibility is constrained by the necessity to seek the

necessary approval/consent of the contract

administrator before undertaking any revisions or

alterations to the approved programme. Hence, express

contractual provisions are usually enshrined in the

conditions of contract to the following effect:

No material alteration to the approved work

programme is generally permitted without theapproval of the contract administrator e.g. Clause

7.4 36 IEM.ME 1/94 Form;

The contractor may modify or revise the works

programme with the approval of the contract

administrator to take into account any changed

circumstances or events affecting the progress and/

or the execution of the works e.g. Clause 5.6 37 CIDB

Form (2000 Edn.)

If the progress of the works does not conform tothe approved programme, the contract administrator

may instruct the contractor to revise the programme.

The contractor shall thereafter revise the programme

to show the modifications necessary to ensure

completion of the works within the time stipulated

for completion e.g. Clause 7.5 38 IEM.ME 1/94 Form.

It should be appreciated that although such express

clauses are specially drafted to give wide powers to

the contract administrator vis-à-vis the exercise of

his powers of approval to the revisions/alterations,

these powers are restricted by the overall exercise of

reasonableness; a fact that must be borne in mind by

contract administrators when reviewing the

contractor’s requests for relevant modifications.

36. Entitled ‘Alteration to Programme’37. Called ‘Modification or Revision To Work’s Programme

and/or Method Statement’38. Entitled “Revision of Programme’.39. E.g. JKR 203, 203A (rev. 10/83), PAM ’98 Forms, etc.40. See Roger Knowles ‘100 Hundred Contractual Problems and

Their Solutions’ at P 71

By Ir. Harbans Singh K.S., B.E (Mech) S’pore, P.E., C.Eng,LLB(Hons) London, CLP, DipICArb.

Some forms of conditions of contract 39 on the other

hand, either have no such express provisions, or are

generally silent on the question of revision or

amendment of the work programme and/or the

necessity of seeking the contract administrator’s

approval for such modifications.

The consequences of such an eventuality is neatly

summed up by Roger Knowles in the following words:

‘In the absence of an express requirement to seek

approval to amend, the contractor can revise his

programme as he wishes. An architect or engineer

who has not been asked to approve or accept an

amended programme may feel under no obligation

to issue drawings in good time to enable the

contractor to comply with the revised programme’ 40

Hence, in view of the impact of the contractor’s

revisions on the contract administrator’s obligations

vis-à-vis the supply of information, drawings, etc. to

enable the contractor to proceed with his works as

planned, it is rare for the contractor not to seek the

latter’s approval to the revisions. Therefore, it is a

rule rather than an exception for the procedure

governing the approval process to be adopted in

practice for not only the initial submission but also

for any subsequent revisions notwithstanding the

absence of express stipulations thereto.

MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES

I. ‘Optimistic’/Shortened Programme

It is an express requirement in most contracts for the

contractor to programme his works such that he can

complete the works ‘on or before’ the date for

Part 2

engineering&law



completion stated in the contract 41. Some contractors

however, prepare and submit an ‘optimistic’ or

‘shortened’ programme i.e. targeting an earlier

completion date. Various reasons have been proffered

for this practice ranging from a genuine desire to

achieve earlier discharge of the contractual obligations

at one end of the spectrum to a sinister goal of

improving the contractor’s chances of claims for

monetary compensation, etc. due to an increased

possibility of ‘acts of prevention’ on the employer’s

part vis-à-vis the ‘shortened’ programme.

An ‘optimistic’ or ‘shortened’ programme should

be viewed with caution by the employer/ contract

administrator due to a host of reasons; the principal

of which include:

It accelerates the demands on the employer /contract administrator in undertaking their various

obligations and duties 42 e.g. furnishing information

/ drawings, granting necessary approvals, etc. to

meet the ‘shortened’ or ‘earlier’ targets set by the

contractor;

It imposes unreasonable demands on the employer’s

cash flow and financial allocation to meet the

accelerated payment to the contractor;

It increases the likelihood of the employer defaulting in his obligations to the contractor i.e.

giving rise to acts of prevention that will delay the

contractor and entitle him to various contractual

claims; and

It generally transfers the risk of default in time

obligations onto the employer.

Robinson and Lavers sum up this matter in the

following manner:43

‘…. a programme to complete prior to the required

date for completion is probably within the contractor’s

rights and has the effect of requiring the architect to

produce his drawings for the earlier critical dates at

least as far as that may be reasonably capable of

achievement. The consultants should not query a

contractor’s programme unless it is clearly unrealistic

or places unreasonable demands on the employer’s

cash flow or the design work schedule’

Be that as it may, the legal position vis-à-vis an

‘optimistic’ or ‘shortened’ programme is reflected inthe judgment of the case of Glenlion Construction

Ltd. v The Guinness Trust 44 where it was held

that:

There was no implied obligation on the employer to

supply information, through his architect 45, so as to

enable the contractor to finish early; and

It was neither reasonable nor equitable that the

contractor should be able to place, after the

contract had been made, a unilateral obligation

on the employer 46

II. ‘Float’ In Work Programme

In preparing a programme, contractors generally

have to make a considered decision as to, amongst

others, the specific duration that has to be allocated to

a particular work activity. Where the contractor

anticipates uncertainties, he must allocate a buffer

period i.e. he must schedule that activity to take longer

than estimated to cushion him against any unforeseencircumstances. Such a contingency period, often

dubbed as ‘float’ 47 caters for uncertain risks covering

matters of the likes of:

Adverse ground conditions;

Inclement weather;

Unavailability of labour, materials, etc.;

Strikes, lockouts, etc.;

Rectification of self-induced mistakes; and

Unforeseen conditions/circumstances, etc.

I

Documents

BEM Jun04-Aug04 (Water Engineering)