KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — The state government is seeking advice from Siemens Malaysia to help reduce its non-revenue water (NRW), with the tech conglomerate aiming to bring it down from the current 27 per cent to as low as five per cent.
Its president cum chief executive officer Tindaro Danze said this is part of the company’s commitment to helping Selangor tackle existing challenges through technological solutions, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the state government last year that appoints the firm as a technical advisor.
"Selangor is exploring several areas (for improvement), including water management. The state still faces a significant water leakage issue, with almost 30 per cent of treated water being lost.
"We have the technology that can help the state reduce leakage levels all the way down to five per cent," he told Media Selangor in an interview on the sidelines of the Selangor Techsphere Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from yesterday to today.
Danze added that following the MOU signing in February last year, Siemens Malaysia led a Selangor delegation on visits to Germany and the Netherlands to witness firsthand some of the water management initiatives being implemented there.
These included a visit to a water treatment plant in Germany with an NRW rate of only five per cent.
"We said to him (Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Amirudin Shari), we are not only showing you presentations on PowerPoint. We bring you to our customers who are already using our technology.
"So, these are the kinds of advice we offer (the state government). If they like (some of the initiatives), we can do the same here. You just need to let us know how we can be of help,” he said.
On February 2, 2024, Selangor signed an MOU with Siemens Malaysia for its technology advisory and consultancy services, as part of the state government’s efforts to digitalise and enhance its services.
At the event, Amirudin said that Siemens’ capabilities, expertise, and technology could help the state administration in improving the quality of life for Selangor citizens.
On October 27 this year, he urged the Federal government to consider removing or lowering import duties and the Sales and Service Tax (SST) rates on strategic technology and equipment to help reduce NRW.
The Menteri Besar noted that while equipment like smart meters has proven effective in reducing NRW — water lost in a distribution system before reaching consumers — procuring such technology is very costly due to government tax.
Selangor’s NRW level is currently around 27 per cent, the second-lowest after Johor’s 25 per cent.
