Water,Water...

Malaysians Use Four Times More Water

from Bernama

An individual's basic biological need for water is between 20 and 100 litres a day but Malaysians are using as much as four times the average quantity needed, according to a consultant. Dr. K. Kalithasan of the Global Environment Centre (GEC) said Malaysians were using between 184 and 500 litres daily.

Much of the water is wasted for "businesses" in the toilet and bathroom, he told reporters after presenting a talk at a workshop on water conservation for 70 students, here. Kalithasan said the daily water usage per Malaysian was about 184 litres but in bigger towns and cities the usage could reach as high as 300 to 500 litres.

The two-year national water conservation campaign, which started in July last year, is jointly organised by the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry, the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) and GEC.

On the role of the public in river conservation efforts, Kalithasan said the government should transfer the responsiblity and let the general public hold ownership of such projects if it is serious about the efforts yielding positive results in the long run.

"When the community doesn't hold the ownership, it doesn't feel the need to be responsible for the rivers. Ideally, such projects should be focused on the grassroots level where the community is provided with some resources to launch their campaigns," he said.

Comment:
Yes, we come to water again. It is the most precious of all commodities on earth and yet the most little regarded by people. We have taken for granted this god given commodity because of its abundance in nature from rain, seas and oceans, rivers and lakes. Once it becomes a little more scarce as in a drought, we feel the pinch and the punch. Man cannot live without water! We go to the extent of prayers, cloud seeding, cut supplies and will even die without it! So lets conserve water. Treat it more valuable than gold.