Sabah only state to mark World Water Day
Published on: Wednesday, April 08, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah was the only state in Malaysia to celebrate World Water Day this year with a conference and exhibition.World Water Day is held worldwide annually on 22 March, a day designated by the United Nations to celebrate the importance of water sustainability.West Malaysian speakers at the occasion praised the organisers and sponsors for making the annual event a success.
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The other states and federal territories recovering from last year's flood and current draught did not commemorate the occasion with any events.World Water Day is a day to celebrate water. It's a day to make a difference for the members of the global population who suffer from water related issues.It's a day to prepare for how we manage water in the future.Sabah's squatters have much freedom to celebrate everyday as free World Water Day as a speaker pointed out that non-revenue water (NRW) losses are among the highest in the country due to leaks and pilferage.
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In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly designated 22 March as the first World Water Day. Twenty two years later, World Water Day is celebrated around the world, shining the spotlight on a different issue every year.
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In 2015, the theme for World Water Day is 'Water and Sustainable Development'. It's about how water links to all areas we need to consider how to create the future we want.What is significant this year is that a new global agreement to address climate change is taking shape, with the United States joining the European Union in formally submitting its plan to cut greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).The US has sent a strong signal by being one of the first to offer this commitment to concrete climate action. Many other countries including China and India are expected to add their plans to the mix.In the second keynote address at the three-day event, entitled 'Hydroclimate Projections to Engineering Practices for Adaptation Measures in Water Resources Planning', Ir. Mohd Zaki Mat Amin, the Director of Research Centre for Water Resources and Climate Change, National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Malaysia, said: "The National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia has compiled 1,440 years of hydroclimate simulations and has conducted the Economics of Climate Change study for Malaysia in water and coastal resources sector which was the basis for the Economic Planning Unit's Policy Brief on climate change adaptation in water resources planning."The changing climate, as evidenced by rising frequency of extreme weather events all over the globe, forces policy and decision-makers to re-evaluate the adequacy of existing water infrastructures and current engineering practices."Climate change negatively impacts fresh water sources. Current projections show that freshwater-related risks rise significantly with increasing greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating competition for water among all uses and users, affecting regional water, energy and food securities. Combined with increased demands for water, this will create huge challenges for water resources management. Natural hazards are inevitable but much can be done to reduce the high number of death and destruction tolls. Ill-advised human activity can both create and accelerate the impact of water-related disasters. These water threats have been increasing with climate change and human activities, in the North and South of our planet, from East to West. But, with preparedness and planning, fatalities and destruction can be decreased. The global community has to commit itself to the principles of coherent disaster prevention and response. The need is now for concrete and significant changes to make this happen. "Incorporation of climate change and variability into future water-related risk planning, management and design is an important adaptation step in developing a framework for sustainable water resources development."Climate change adaptation in future plans and developments, by means of engineering approach, which involves actions such as raising flood levees (like along the Padas River in Beaufort), review of reservoir capacity, resizing of drainage and irrigation systems, raising flood platform level, or redesign of ports and jetties; will be able to minimise damage to properties and prevent loss of lives," he said.Water is at the core of sustainable development. Water resources, and the range of services they provide, underpin poverty reduction, economic growth and environmental sustainability. From food and energy security to human and environmental health, water contributes to improvements in social well-being and inclusive growth, affecting the livelihoods of billions. Water is essential to human health. The human body can last weeks without food, but only days without water. Water is essential to our survival. Regular handwashing, is for example one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to others. Up to one trillion germs can live in one gram of excreta. As for the human body, in average it is made of 50-65 per cent water. Babies have the highest percentage of water; newborns are 78 per cent water. Every day, every person needs access to water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene.Water is essential for sanitation facilities that do not compromise health or dignity. The World Health Organization recommends 7.5 litres per capita per day will meet the requirements of most people under most conditions.A higher quantity of about 20 litres per capita per day will take care of basic hygiene needs and basic food hygiene. Despite impressive gains made over the last decade, 748 million people do not have access to an improved source of drinking water and 2.5 billion do not use an improved sanitation facility. Investments in water and sanitation services result in substantial economic gains. The return on investment of attaining universal access to improved sanitation has been estimated at 5.5 to 1, whereas for universal access of improved drinking-water sources the ration is estimated to be 2 to 1.To cover every person worldwide with safe water and sanitation is estimated to cost US$107 billion a year over a five-year period. Ecosystems – including, for example, forests, wetlands and grassland – lie at the heart of the global water cycle. All freshwater ultimately depends on the continued healthy functioning of ecosystems, and recognizing the water cycle is essential to achieving sustainable water management. Yet most economic models do not value the essential services provided by freshwater ecosystems. This leads to unsustainable use of water resources and ecosystem degradation. Pollution from untreated residential and industrial wastewater and agricultural run-off also weakens the capacity of ecosystem to provide water-related services. This is one of the biggest problem in Sabah.There is a need to shift towards environmentally sustainable economic policies that take account of the interconnection between ecological systems. One challenge is to maintain a beneficial mix between built and natural infrastructure and provision of their respective services.Economic arguments can make the preservation of ecosystems relevant to decision-makers and planners.Ecosystem valuation demonstrates that benefits far exceed costs of water-related investments in ecosystem conservation.Valuation is also important in assessing trade-offs in ecosystem conservation, and can be used to better inform development plans.Adoption of 'ecosystem-based management' is key to ensuring water long-term sustainability. Today, one in two people on the planet live in a city. And the world's cities are growing at an exceptional rate – four people moved to cities in the time it took you to read this sentence. Some 93 per cent of the urbanization occurs in poor or developing countries, and nearly 40 per cent of the world's urban expansion is growing slums. Projections show that another 2.5 billion people will move to urban centres by 2050. The 2014 report of "World Urbanization Prospects" by UN DESA's Population Division notes that the largest urban growth will take place in India, China and Nigeria. Thousands of kilometres of pipes make up each city's water infrastructure. Many antiquated systems waste more freshwater than they deliver. This is one of the causes of NRW in Sabah.In many fast-growing cities (small and medium-sized cities with populations of less than 500,000), wastewater infrastructure is non-existent, inadequate or outdated.Every manufactured product requires water. Some industries are more water-intense than others. Some 10 litres of water are used to make one sheet of paper. Some 91 litres are used to make 500 grams of plastic. Industrialisation can drive development by increasing productivity, jobs and income. It can provide opportunities for gender equality and youth employment. However, industry's priority is to maximize production rather than water efficiency and conservation. Global water demand for manufacturing is expected to increase by 400 per cent from 2000 to 2050, which is much larger than other sectors. The main increases will be in emerging economies and developing countries. Many large corporations have made considerable progress in evaluating and reducing their water use and that of their supply chains. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are faced with similar water challenges on a smaller scale. The business case for water efficiency frequently requires a financial trade-off. Investment in efficient water treatment technology or cooling processes may have longer payback periods than the immediate returns of alternative short-term investment in production. Technology and smart planning reduce the use of water, and can improve the quality of waste water. Some progressive textile manufacturers have introduced technology that ensures the water coming out of the mill is as clean or cleaner than the water coming in from the town's drinking water. Large beverage companies are also improving their water use efficiency and have over the past 10 year substantially reduced the water used in their manufacturing plants. Water and energy are natural partners. Water is required to generate energy. Energy is required to deliver water. Today over 80 per cent of power generation is by thermal electricity. Water is heated to create steam to drive electrical generators. Billions of gallons of water are also needed for cooling. This requires limiting construction and use of the least efficient coal-fired power plants. Worldwide hydropower accounts for 16 per cent of global electricity production - an expected 3,700 major dams may more than double the total electricity capacity of hydropower within the next two decades. New energy production should use widely adopting dry-cooling or highly efficient closed-loop cooling technologies. Using alternative water sources, such as sea or waste water, offers a great potential for reducing the pressures on freshwater resources.Renewable energy comes from resources which are naturally replenished such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat. These do not require large quantities of fresh water. One litre of water is needed to irrigate one calorie food. Inefficient water use can mean 100 litres are used to produce one calorie.Irrigation takes up to 90 per cent of water withdrawn in some developing countries. Globally, agriculture is the largest user of water, accounting for 70 per cent of total withdrawal. By 2050, agriculture will need to produce 60 per cent more food globally, and 100 per cent more in developing countries. Economic growth and individual wealth are shifting diets from predominantly starch-based to meat and dairy, which require more water. Producing 1 kilo rice, for example, requires about 3,500 litres of water, while 1 kilo of beef some 15,000 litres. This shift in diet is the greatest to impact on water consumption over the past 30 years, and is likely to continue well into the middle of the twenty-first century. The current growth rates of agricultural demands on the world's freshwater resources are unsustainable. Inefficient use of water for crop production depletes aquifers, reduces river flows, degrades wildlife habitats, and has caused salinization of 20 per cent of the global irrigated land area. To increase efficiency in the use of water, agriculture can reduce water losses and, most importantly, increase crop productivity with respect to water. With increased intensive agriculture, water pollution may worsen. Experience from high income countries shows that a combination of incentives, including more stringent regulation, enforcement and well-targeted subsidies, can help reduce water pollution."The National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia has undertaken a substantial amount of research in terms of climate change and water resources. To bridge the gap between science and policy, it is of utmost importance to establish a pathway of knowledge development. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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