NATURAL Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the government would ensure the water sector had an investment value by 2040. 

He said efforts towards this goal were being taken by his ministry, starting with reducing the non-renewable water (NRW) rate. 

“The treated water in the plant does not reach the user’s account; either it is stolen, or a lot is leaking out due to old pipes. The country’s average for NRW issues is around 35% but, in some states, it is up to 60%. 

“This means that more than half of what is treated does not reach (consumers), so we are trying to fix it and we have also approved to facilitate grants for this NRW and repairs to be accessed by the state water operators. That is the important thing we do for the water sector,” he said today. 

Nik Nazmi added that the government’s efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by as early as 2050 is one of the highest goals he is facing.  

“We have a very ambitious energy transition target and set the country’s aspirations to achieve net-zero emissions in 2050, and this is our commitment to the 2015 Paris Agreement. 

“About 80% of electricity generation in our country depends on natural gas, and what’s worse is coal, so that’s why what we have done today is the National Energy Transition Roadmap to speed up the transition by 2050,” he said. 

In the meantime, he said climate change was dynamic and not easy to deal with, requiring comprehensive action from various parties. 

“We need action to be implemented locally, either in the cities or at the state level, where they have the authority over land, forests, and water resources, which is very significant, and sometimes more powerful than the federal government. 

“There are also many international obligations, and there are constraints and pressures to set a very high standard among developing countries while forgetting that developed countries destroyed the environment a lot too, such as cutting forests and so on,” he said. 

He said the burden has been placed on developing countries, therefore there needs to be a lot of contribution and support from developed countries. – Bernama, November 22, 2023.