Most major cities to have connected sewerage by 2030, says Nik Nazmi

IPOH: By 2030, 95% of major cities in the country are expected to have modern connected sewerage services, says Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

The Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister said this was the government’s target when developing the country’s sewerage sector in line with ongoing and planned development.

“Therefore we set a target of 95% after looking at the threat of pollution from sewage.

“Such connected systems will increase access to clean water supply and sanitation under the Sustainable Development Goals,” he added in his speech before launching the Papan 2 Regional Sewerage Treatment Plant (RSTP) near Pusing on Saturday (Oct 7).

Nik Nazmi said the government is committed to improving the level of sewerage services in the country by developing modern treatment plants.

The modern Papan 2 Regional Sewerage Treatment Plant (RSTP) near Pusing.

He said all types of sewage discharged into rivers or the environment would be treated completely to comply with all regulations.

“The Federal Government has provided a large allocation to ensure the planning of efficient sewerage infrastructure is carried out in stages throughout the country,” he said.

He added that the construction of treatment plants, and the upgrading of existing ineffective or small plants that are not cost-effective, will ensure that effluent treatment levels comply with standards and meet the needs of the country’s population growth.

Nik Nazmi said the development of sewerage services in high-density urban areas is based on the concept of regionalisation, which is to build treatment plants at an appropriate scale to meet the needs of larger communities.

“This method can increase efficiency through economies of scale while reducing the construction of small plants in new developments,” he added.

Besides the Papan 2 plant in Perak, similar plants which are already operational are located in Pulau Pangkor and Assam Kumbang in Taiping.

During a press conference, the ministry’s secretary-general (Water and Sewerage) Dr Ching Thoo Kim said RSTP projects have also been planned in Kelantan and Alor Setar in Kedah.