KUCHING: With the increasing demand for potable water in the years to come, there is an urgent need to protect and conserve raw water sources by implementing Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) for sustainable management of the state’s water resources.
Minister of Utilities, Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom said IWRM had been adopted internationally as the recommended approach for water crisis management and the state is looking into taking up the same approach.
“Presently, the state has already gazetted 29 water supply catchment areas and is now in the process of gazetting another 58,” he said in his winding up speech in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting at the august House here yesterday.
Rundi said the approach was in line with the government’s effort to ensure that the raw water sources for potable water supply were protected in terms of quality and quantity of water available.
“There is also a need to implement Water Demand Management (WDM) which calls for the managing of water demand to meet limitation of supply,” he said.
Rundi pointed out that Water Demand Management involved taking necessary actions such as holding public awareness and educational campaigns on water conservation.
