A comparative study on water management: Kota Bharu, Kelantan and Shah Alam, Selangor / Suzana Mohamed Berolding

Water is one of the most important resources used for electricity generation, industrial process, irrigation as well as maintaining public health. We cannot live without water. But dirty water will surely make us sick - very sick. So clean water is need to a healthy life. Over and above the dirty water problem, many water consumers have often suffered water disruptions for days due to burst mains and water shortages. For that reason this dissertation been done to determine what has gone wrong in water management. The supply and delivery of treated water to the public has always remained as one of the most important tasks shouldered by the State Authorities even long before Malaysia achieved independency in 1957. Year by year, the ever increasing demand for treated water supply has caused the State Authorities to keep improving their efficiencies of supply. While the pressure remains on the government to further improve the water supply system has also risen to an alarming amount every year. The government is also burdened with the inefficiency of the existing system, which include technical inefficiencies, poor collection of revenues and deteriorating water supply system, which calls for heavy investments for upgrading works in the near future. With limited funds available for development for the whole state, the Government will have not much choice but to prioritize projects based on importance. Development for new water supply system and the refurbishment of existing facilities, which require substantial amount of investments, will thus be affected in the future. This trend is expected to continue in the near future thus further straining the existing system, which is already badly in need of funds for new projects as well as refurbishment funds. The situation will further deteriorate unless a solution is reached to attend to the problem as soon as possible. The aim of this final project is to investigate on how the implementation of Value Management on the water privatization. The obstacles encountered in its implementation and step to enhance the water management. To support this research, the concession company Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn. Bhd. (SYABAS) and Air Kelantan Sdn. Bhd. (AKSB) has been taken as case study.