This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on August 12, 2024 - August 18, 2024

Ironically, Malaysia — a country blessed with abundant rainfall — is facing challenges to its water infrastructure due to climate change.

Traditionally reliant on surface water from lakes, rivers, reservoirs and groundwater, Malaysia’s water management is under increasing strain from rising temperatures and extreme weather events.

Climate change and water are inextricably linked. It impacts the water cycle by influencing when, where and how much precipitation falls, according to Dr Zelina Zaiton Ibrahim, former associate professor at the Department of Environmental Management of Universiti Putra Malaysia and one of the coordinating lead authors for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report.

She explains that for every degree Celsius rise in temperature, atmospheric water vapour increases by about 7%.

“More water in the atmosphere means more and heavier rainfall, and it circulates back to the atmosphere. And because now the earth is heating up, [the circulation process] moves faster and is more intense,” says Zelina.

“That is why we are seeing more typhoons, cyclones, frequent intense storms, and longer and heavier rainfall. But the amount of water is the same, it’s just all pouring down at one go. But when we have intense rain, we also have more extreme dry periods because the average amount of water that circulates is the same.”

With warmer temperatures expected due to climate change, these issues are only set to worsen.

Malaysia’s government, in its Fourth National Communication (NC4) report to the IPCC, has highlighted that both dry spells and extreme wet weather pose significant risks to the country’s water infrastructure. Intense rainfall can lead to downstream flooding and damage to dams. In 2022, the Department of Irrigation and Drainage reported that 40% of the country’s dams are considered high risk.

The floods at the end of 2021 offer a stark example of how extreme wet weather can disrupt water supply. Heavy rains caused major flooding in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, damaging multiple water treatment plants.

Conversely, prolonged dry spells can contribute to lower water levels in reservoirs and rivers, directly affecting water treatment plants. The NC4 reveals that several treatment facilities in states such as Perlis, Perak, Johor, Pahang, Kedah and Selangor have already been impacted by extended periods of drought.

Climate change exacerbates water pollution problems, particularly during dry spells. Zelina explains that drought conditions result in reduced water flow in rivers, impairing their ability to dilute pollutants. As a consequence, concentrations of contaminants become higher.

“Water quality will be affected by drought because there would be too little water in the river to dilute pollution,” she says. “But if you have very heavy rains, you might get the pollutants coming in overland, such as sediment, oil and grease.”

This problem is compounded when water gets polluted by factories. When water supply is disrupted, the already concentrated pollutants in rivers become even more problematic due to lower flow levels.

She says without sufficient water flow to dilute pollutants, the available water during outages can be of poorer quality, further complicating the situation for consumers and water management authorities alike.

Frequent and unpredictable water cuts, both scheduled and unscheduled, have led to an increase in bottled water consumption. The unpredictability of water supply interruptions has driven many residents to stock up on bottled water. This, of course, comes with the problem of more plastic waste.

Consumers like Justine Chu, a digital marketer, resort to buying bottled water during water cuts. “We only started doing this since water cuts became more frequent and unscheduled,” she says.

Chu typically buys at least six 5-litre jugs and several 1.5-litre bottles to last a few days during these interruptions.

“There are often water cuts that happen suddenly and we can’t prepare [in time], so bottled water is our fastest choice,” she explains. After using up the bottled water, Chu and her family usually keep the empty jugs to be filled for future water cuts.

The rise in bottled water consumption is not limited to individual households. Bottled water provider Jant Marketing Sdn Bhd (Jantzen) CEO Calvin Yee Jong Hoe reports that its bottled water business experiences a significant surge in demand during extreme weather events and water-rationing periods.

“In extreme weather events, our bottled water demand will surge, especially when there is any water rationing implemented by the government,” Yee says, adding that sales also rise during flood events, as affected areas often have contaminated water supplies.

Despite these challenges, Jason A Rajah, managing director of water delivery provider Ace Water Marketing Sdn Bhd, says his company has not encountered difficulties in securing water supplies to meet demand.

“The country is blessed with adequate rain in areas where the aquifers are located. There is so far no impact from current climate changes,” he says. “We are still able to source natural mineral water as the country is blessed with natural resources and environment. There are plenty of aquifers in the country, and still plenty to explore and develop.”

Malaysia’s water infrastructure will have to be ready for climate change impacts. Floods can also cause pipelines to burst or become misaligned, while heavy rain can lead to the contamination of treated water, rendering it unusable.

Prolonged dry periods can lead to soil subsidence, which can damage underground pipes, increasing the likelihood of leaks. Additionally, drought conditions can lower the water table, putting extra stress on existing infrastructure and leading to more frequent breakdowns and water loss.

The situation is compounded by Malaysia’s ageing water infrastructure, which may struggle to cope with these escalating climate impacts. Zelina points out that many existing systems were designed based on historical climate data that may no longer be accurate.

Modern infrastructure designs must integrate climate change factors by adjusting projected future designs to account for anticipated changes in climate patterns. This involves studying historical data, although Zelina warns that historical data alone may not accurately represent future climate impacts.

She highlights the difficulty in estimating extreme weather events with precision, such as the so-called one-in-100-year event. “To accurately predict such rare events, ideally, we would need around 300 years of data. Only a few countries have that. And unfortunately, we do not have that,” she says.

Incorporating climate change considerations into infrastructure design also incurs significant costs. “These changes in design requirements mean additional expenses, and designers must justify these costs to clients. This often involves building infrastructure to higher specifications as a precaution against future climate impacts.”

To ensure sustainable water use in the face of climate change, the Malaysian government has highlighted the need for better planning, as outlined in the Fourth National Physical Plan 2020.

Some of its key strategies include the Integrated Water Resources Management, which promotes coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources, and the Integrated River Basin Management, which supports state water authorities in managing their resources effectively.

Since the third National Communication Report, measures have been implemented to protect dam water catchment areas and ensure adequate inflow into reservoirs. Roughly, 170 permanent reserved forests have been designated as water catchment areas, according to the report, with additional plans to further secure and expand reservoir storage by gazetting more forested regions.

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