KUCHING, Oct 5 — Malaysia’s water treatment plants (WTPs) currently discharge an estimated 976.8 million litres per day (MLD) of treated water and generate about 5,500 metric tonnes of water treatment residue daily, said Pengurusan Aset Air Bhd (PAAB).
PAAB chairman Datuk Seri Jaseni Maidinsa called on state water operators to adopt a comprehensive zero-waste management approach to turn these outputs into valuable resources while making Malaysia’s water services industry more sustainable.
“It is our aspiration in PAAB to establish a nationwide zero-waste management ecosystem by recovering and reusing treated water currently discharged from water treatment plants, while converting water treatment residue into commercially valuable products.
“Rather than treating this as waste, it should be recovered, reused and transformed into valuable resources including clay bricks, construction material, cement-based products, and land reclamation material.
“This will not only reduce waste but also create economic value and strengthen the sustainability of the water sector,” he said at the Zero-Waste Management 2.0 Conference here today.
Jaseni said the WTP residue management system at Penang’s Sungai Dua WTP is a good example of resource recovery.
The initiative has demonstrated the potential to transform treatment residue into commercially beneficial products and reduce disposal costs and environmental impact, while recovering discharge for reuse in the treatment process to minimise water loss and improve operational efficiency, he said.
To accelerate nationwide adoption, Jaseni said PAAB will champion zero-waste management and circular economy practices in collaboration with ministries, regulators, state governments, water operators and industry stakeholders.
As Malaysia’s water infrastructure financing arm and least-cost capital expenditure funder, he said PAAB is prepared to provide financing support or, where required, undertake both financing and project delivery for initiatives such as treated water recycling systems and sludge dewatering facilities.
“Our objective is to develop solutions that are environmentally sustainable, technically practical and financially viable.
“By recovering water and transforming treatment residue into useful resources, we can reduce water losses, lower disposal-related emissions, create new economic opportunities and strengthen long-term water security for Malaysia,” Jaseni said.
The two-day conference on waste management under the auspices of the Green and Geopark Excellence Awards (GAGA) gathered prominent environmental advocates and leaders from the public and private sectors in Kuching to advance sustainable practices and zero-waste policies in response to climate change.
PAAB is a wholly owned company of the Minister of Finance (Incorporated), established under the Water Services Industry Act 2006.
As the national water asset financing entity, PAAB is responsible for financing, developing and managing water asset infrastructure to ensure the long-term sustainability, resilience and efficiency of Malaysia’s water services industry.
