SHAH ALAM, Apr 24 — Rising operational costs in Selangor’s water management system, especially for electricity and treatment chemicals, are being closely monitored amid global uncertainties, including geopolitical tensions that could drive up supply expenses.
State executive councillor for infrastructure and agriculture Dato’ Izham Hashim said the water sector is increasingly exposed to external cost pressures, especially in imported treatment chemicals and high energy consumption required for water processing.
“There are two key components involved that are affected by the impact of the conflict in the Middle East (the West Asia conflict): electricity costs and the cost of treatment chemicals.
“Chemicals are used in water treatment to ensure the water meets the required quality standards and is safe for consumption,” he said during the State Legislative Assembly sitting’s question and answer session today.
Izham added that Selangor’s long-term supply is not extensive, with some supplies lasting two to five years and others only two to three years, making them vulnerable to disruption if supply chains are affected.
The state government currently spend about RM80 million to RM100 million a year on purchasing treatment chemicals, and is exposed to potential price increases.
“We do not yet have exact figures on how much the increase will be, whether high or moderate, and this will be monitored from time to time.
“The more worrying factor is electricity, where we spend more than RM300 million a year, and this could rise to RM400 million. This is far higher than the cost of chemicals.
“Because of this, our current approach is to look at increasing the use of solar energy to help reduce dependence on electricity generated from fossil fuel sources,” he said.
Shift towards recycling, second pipe system
Meanwhile, when asked about the water recycling system and single-pipe system, Izham said Selangor is gradually shifting towards new water management approaches, including the use of recycled water and the development of a second pipe system for industrial purposes.
The country has long relied on a single pipe system, resulting in treated drinking water being used for all purposes, including industrial and sanitation uses.
“We are actually among the most wasteful countries in the world in terms of water usage.
“We use treated drinking water for toilets and industrial purposes because we do not have a separate piping system,” he said.
Izham noted that Malaysia currently relies on a single-pipe system, unlike other countries that use dual pipelines separating potable water from non-potable water for industrial and cleaning purposes.
As a result, treated drinking water is still widely used in industrial and commercial activities, thereby increasing costs and is viewed as inefficient.
While transitioning to a second-pipe system would help reduce reliance on treated water for non-drinking uses, the high implementation cost remains a major constraint.
However, Selangor has begun taking initial steps by supplying treated recycled wastewater, processed from Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd, to selected industries such as glove manufacturers.
“For recycled wastewater, we (Selangor) have already started supplying treated reclaimed water to industries such as glove manufacturing companies,” he said.
The initiative aligns with sustainability principles, including zero-discharge policy considerations, and will be gradually expanded to more industrial areas.
“This will be implemented together with a second piping system for industrial use first, while domestic and commercial usage is still under review,” Izham said.
