By Anil Netto

PENANG, Aug 10 (IPS) - When religious leaders from different faiths sought to jointly affirm the sacredness of water as the source of life but were shooed away by authorities, it was seen as a move to scuttle interfaith harmony as well as support plans to privatise a common resource.

PENANG, Malaysia, Oct 10 (AWW) -  Even before the problem-ridden Bakun Dam in Malaysia’s Sarawak state can be completed, officials are talking of plans to build two more hydroelectric dams there -- one of which could make Bakun look puny by comparison.

PENANG (IPS) - Malaysian activists have expressed concern that two bills before parliament could pave the way for giant transnational corporations to corner significant stakes in the country's domestic water sector.
   
   The bills, called the Water Services Industry bill and the National Water Services Commission (or SPAN, its Malay acronym) bill would transfer control of water from the various states to a federal-level regulatory authority. The government says this would ensure that all Malaysians have access to affordable and clean, treated water.

   By K B Ng 

The Indah Water Konsortium (IWK)

 

 

Water filter ads, like this one, are abundant in Malaysia, due to the population's concern on water quality and safety.

 

 

KUALA LUMPUR (Asia Water Wire) - Television commercials offering water filters of all sizes, shapes and specifications  mirror a problem that has remained hidden under the glare of the  bright city lights.

   Even though there is no firm data, industry analysts say there  has been a spurt in the sale of filtration devices. But this is obvious in the number and types of filters you see in private homes –  and on hoarding boards.

   Malaysia's water supply is fairly adequate but what is not discussed is the quality that is supplied by a mix of government, public-private and private companies.

PENANG (IPS) - Plans to privatise three major rivers in densely populated Selangor state, in May, have sparked an outcry among concerned groups, alarmed at common natural resources falling into private hands. 

   Under 30-year concessions, three firms will manage a river each and ensure cleanliness. They will be required to repair riverbanks damaged by sand excavation and deepen the rivers to prevent overflowing and flooding. 

PENANG (IPS) - Civil society groups worry that private sector interests will soon dominate the country's water and health care sectors and burden the public -- despite government assurances that these areas will be spared privatisation.

   Authorities are busy revamping the way these two sectors are managed and financed, and the coming months will be crucial as blueprints and enabling laws are formulated.

KUALA LUMPUR (IPS) - Transnational aluminium smelters, some teaming up with Malaysian partners, are beating a path to eastern Sarawak state with an eye to surplus power from the problem-ridden Bakun Dam. 

   The much-delayed dam in Sarawak, on Borneo island, was originally scheduled for completion in 2003, but is now only expected to gradually generate electricity from late 2009. 

PENANG, Malaysia (IPS) - Selling water rights to private institutions and then having people buy them back again is an issue that keeps rearing its ugly head at every World Water Day, which falls on Mar. 22.

Goaded by international financial institutions and corporate interests, regional governments are pressing ahead with plans for more private participation in water services. And yet all across Asia, water privatisation schemes are failing to deliver clean and safe drinking water to communities, despite forcing consumers to pay for a basic human right.

PENANG, Malaysia (IPS) - -Plans to privatise water resource management in Malaysia have come under fire from a coalition of civil society groups that fear it will lead to higher tariffs and burden the poor.

The disquiet has emerged even as the legal framework for privatisation is being put in place. Parliament passed the Constitution Amendment Bill in January transferring supply and management of water away from respective states to the federal level, sparking criticism from Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang.