INTERACTIVE: Selangor tops in cutting water losses

PETALING JAYA: Selangor leads among Peninsula Malaysia states when it comes to reducing water losses.

The state has managed to cut non-revenue water (NRW) by nearly four percent over a five-year period from 2018 to 2022.

NRW refers to water that has been produced but is lost before it reaches customers.

According to the most recent figures from the National Water Services Commission (SPAN), Selangor's NRW, which was at 31.7% in 2018, fell to 27.8% in 2022, representing a 3.9% drop.

Perlis is second in NRW reduction with a 2.3% reduction over the same period, while Pahang is third with a 1.4% drop.

Reducing NRW will be under greater public scrutiny with new water tariffs coming into effect on Feb 1.

Numbers for Sabah and Sarawak are not available as SPAN only regulates the water and sewerage industry for Peninsula Malaysia and the Federal Territory of Labuan.

NRW happens due to three reasons - physical losses, commercial losses, and unbilled authorised consumption.

Physical losses usually occur because of a pipe burst, leaking, services, and tank overflow.

Commercial losses are due to illegal connections, meter issues billing errors and water theft.

Unbilled authorised consumption refers to water used for firefighting purposes, which cannot be billed for firefighting purposes.

Perlis had the highest NRW at 61.5%, followed by Kelantan at 53.7% and Kedah at 51.5%.

Record-high water loss

In 2022, the average NRW hit a new high of 34.4% or 5.4 billion litres, surpassing the 34% recorded in 2015.

To put this into perspective, the amount of water lost each day before it could reach consumers in 2022 was enough to fill up 2,160 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

How much treated water do we produce?

In 2022, Peninsular Malaysia and the Federal Territory of Labuan produced 15,542 million liters each day.

Production increased by 13.8% from 13,662 million liters per day in 2015.

Over eight years from 9,054 million liters to 10,089 million liters, the daily average of water consumption rose by 11.4%, driven by population growth and urbanisation.

Cheaper rates, higher consumption?

Prior to the new water tariffs, Penang enjoyed the cheapest tariff rates for home users at a minimum of RM2.50 per month.

Domestic users in Penang were also the heaviest users of treated water.

The 2022 per capita (average per person) domestic water usage in Penang was 307 liters per person per day.

Although Kelantan appears to have a low water consumption rate, this is because 40.7% of its water supply comes from underground water sources.

Many residents build tube wells to tap into underground water sources in the state, which has long faced water quality problems.