MALAYSIA TO HAVE NATIONAL WATER RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT POLICY

KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 (Bernama) -- The Natural Resources and Environment
Ministry will spearhead the formulation of the National Water Resources and
Environment Policy, deputy minister Joseph Kurup said.

"The policy, among other things, will look into the establishment of new
institutional arrangements and mechanisms to manage our water resources
sustainably," he said when opening the Water Resource Management Seminar 2010,
themed "Towards Environment Friendly Water Resource Management", here Wednesday.


Apart from that, he said the government needed to review the entire spectrum
of water resources management including preserving the resources and ensuring
appropriate policy and legislation were in place and institutional set-up
streamlined.

"We will study the possibility of establishing new institutional
arrangements to manage and coordinate all initiatives towards the preservation
and restoration of our degrading water resources.

"As well as reforming the policy, the emphasis will also be placed on
meeting people's need so that water is made more accessible and affordable," he
said.



Kurup said the government was also actively implementing programmes on
Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) to ensure water sustainability was
attainable.

He said the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister's Department and
Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) had also completed a study on
effective implementation of integrated water resources in Malaysia.

"The DID has commenced the implementations of nine best management practices
to enhance public awareness and capacity-building under various themes of IWRM,"
he said.

At a news conference later, Kurup said the DID had appointed Ranhill
Consulting Services Sdn Bhd as the consultant for the Review of the National
Water Resources Study (2000-2050) and Formulation of National Water Resources
Policy.

DID Director-General Ahmad Husaini Sulaiman said the study, costing
RM6.8 million (US$1=RM3.2), would be completed in October.

-- BERNAMA