Water resource management: Quest for sustainability / Raja Adzrin Raja Ahmad, Noor Hidayah Ab Aziz and Norhidayah Abdullah

The fact that nearly two thirds of the earth’s surface is covered by water succinctly demonstrates the importance of water for life. Similarly, water also makes up a significant fraction of the human body. Given the rapid pace of economic development and urbanisation, water resource management has become a very critical issue. The United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) has identified water scarcity as one of the major environmental issues that requires urgent attention as it reflects the fragility of the current state of the world. The effect of water scarcity is becoming more apparent in
today’s world. Additionally, high demand for water due to the rapid population and economic growth has created a huge challenge for the water services industry. Hence, efficient and effective water management system is an important milestone to ensure sustainability. In the 8th Malaysia Plan (2001
– 2005), the focus was mainly on the stability of water industry whereby the privatization and corporatization of state water authorities were the main agenda. In the 9th Malaysia Plan (2006 –2010), the consolidation of the water service industry was put under the light. During this plan period, the development of water infrastructure was intensified. Moving towards efficiency in operations and management was the main focus for the 10th Malaysia Plan (2011 – 2015). During this period, the efforts were on strengthening and integrating the water supply and sewerage services. Taking a step further, the 11th Malaysia Plan (2016 – 2020) marks an important milestone as the focus is on movement towards establishing resilient and sustainable water services. With industrialization
competing for diminishing water, proactive actions and mutual cooperation from various parties are of urgent need to ensure water sustainability. Importantly, in tandem with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, efficient and sustainable water resource management would be the catalyst for social well-being and ensure environmental and economic sustainability.