By TK Chua

I can’t help but label all those responsible for the country’s water resource management as helpless creeps.

We have numerous agencies involved in water management, including the Department of Environment, Drainage and Irrigation Department, Forestry Department and municipalities. But each time a contamination occurs, no one seems to be held responsible.

Earlier, in July, Johor experienced massive water contamination caused by oil palm mills, which affected more than 120,000 consumers in the state. The state even turned to Singapore for potable water.

Now, Selangor is experiencing the same problem. If we are not vigilant enough, I think Penang, too, will suffer the same fate soon. What’s really going on? Can we ever get more pathetic than this?

Water is the source of life. I urge the public to be more assertive in protecting our catchment areas and riverine areas. With an increase in population and rapid industrialisation, the contamination problem is only going to get worse if we are not careful or assertive enough.

Adequate supply of clean water is not solely dependent on the amount of water we have in our possession but on how we manage, protect and conserve it. Singapore has limited catchment areas, but today it is self-sufficient.

It is time we tackled water pollution seriously. We must not wait for contamination to happen and then take action. We must prevent it from happening. Similarly, we may sue and punish the polluters, but by then, usually, irreparable damage would have occurred.

For too long, polluters, out of their selfishness, have been cavalier in their attitude. For too long, too, our enforcers have been ineffective, either through incompetence, sheer neglect or corruption.

We need constant monitoring and enforcement, period. We need clear guidelines when approving projects that are near to our water catchments and rivers.

Factory owners will inevitably find the cheapest way to get rid of their effluents. It is the job of the state authorities to make the violators pay. If necessary, laws must be amended to impose heavier penalties on the culprits. If there are instances of sabotage, I think actions and punishment should be even more severe.

Each time a contamination occurs, we seem to be in the dark about its source. Certainly, this does not inspire confidence in the enforcers’ ability to monitor, control and punish offenders.

I think it is time to institute evaluation and assessment mechanisms on the enforcers. They, too, must face the consequences if major contamination is one time too many.

TK Chua is an FMT reader.

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