GEORGE TOWN (Nov 26): The Penang government wants to learn from Dutch experts on sustainable water management to ensure that the state remains resilient and livable.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said Penang was a water-stressed state with no water-rationing policy, yet Penangites consumed the most water per capita daily in Malaysia.

“The future of water supply will demand that water is managed in a sustainable manner from the source to the tap and from now onwards.

“The state government hopes to learn more on these principles (for water wise cities from a session by the International Water Association) and explore how we can endorse and apply them to ensure that Penang becomes a ‘Water Wise State’,” he said here today.

He also hoped that Malaysia could best adopt the Netherlands’ sustainable model of drinking water residuals reuse, where up to 87% of the residuals were recycled and profits made from the reuse.

“The high volume of alum sludge, high costs of sludge treatment and dewatering as well as the limited options of disposal have caused many water supply operators and treatment plants in the country not to be equipped with effluent treatment systems and sludge dewatering facilities,” he added, referring to the hazardous waste generated from aluminium-based coagulants in water treatment plants.

Earlier, Chow officiated the Malaysian Water Engineers Action Committee (MyWAC) 32nd annual conference as well as the Malaysia-Netherlands Symposium and Workshop at a beach resort in Batu Ferringhi here.

The three-day programme focuses on sustainable water treatment plant residuals management in Malaysia and digitalisation in water management.

Also present at the opening ceremony were the Netherlands’ deputy ambassador in Malaysia Christoph Prommersberger, Penang Water Supply Corporation chief executive officer Datuk Jaseni Maidinsa, Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources director (water supply division) Datuk Abdul Karim Mohd Tahir and MyWAC chairman Ishak Hasnan.