KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Malaysia will strive to ensure that the country's water resources are managed sustainably and that water is "treated with respect".
He said this will contribute to the overall achievement of the national key performance index of 99 per cent water supply coverage, 80 per cent connected sewerage services, and the national target of a 25 per cent reduction in non-revenue water by 2030.
However, he said the impact of climate change might affect the capacity to meet water demand and the implementation of water infrastructure projects.
"The impact of climate change on water resources alters the availability, quantity and quality of the water supply cycle while contributing to extreme weather, causing long droughts and extreme flood disasters," he said in his speech before opening the International Greentech and Eco-products Exhibition and Conference 2020 (IGEM 2020) organised virtually, today.
As a way forward, Muhyiddin said the government has plans to explore alternatives or unconventional water resource procurement, such as groundwater abstraction, rainwater harvesting or even storm water harvesting using off-river storage and coastal reservoirs.
Towards having sustainable development, Muhyiddin said the government, led by the Environment and Water Ministry (KASA), is in the midst of preparing an Environmental Sustainability Roadmap, a document with clear targets and indicators towards a green and sustainable pathway from 2020 to 2030.
Towards achieving the same objective, the prime minister said the government had also launched the Green Technology Master Plan (GTMP), which strategically outlines approaches up to the year 2030 for green technology development to create a low carbon and resource-efficient economy.
"We have also galvanised several cities in Malaysia to set a low-carbon vision and develop a low-carbon action plan," he said, adding that a total of 52 local authorities are now part of the Low Carbon City Framework Programme which encourages strategies and actions to reduce carbon emissions.
Organised by KASA, IGEM 2020 is a multiplier of business opportunities that serves as an integrator of diverse possibilities and accelerator of impactful change, emphasising IGEM's powerful and decisive role in accelerating a global green economy.
It is a major channel to convene governments, policymakers, corporations, and individuals onto a single platform, opening up new avenues and introducing innovative solutions to meet escalating global economic and climate change scenarios. - BERNAMA