Govt aims to build 77 sewage treatment plants nationwide by 2040 - PM Najib

The government aims to build 77 sewage treatment plants nationwide by 2040 under the National Sewerage Catchment Strategy with an estimated allocation of RM52 billion.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said 46 regional sewage treatment plants had been built so far to preserve the quality of water sources in the country.

He said Malaysia is lucky to have many sources of water, with 150 rivers had been identified as the main sources of raw water.

"However, with the global climate change and the decline in the quality of river water, Malaysia is now facing a shortage of raw water," he said when opening the Pantai 2 Sewage Treatment Plant and Pantai Eco Park here today.

The Pantai Sewage Treatment Plant project began in 2011 and was completed at a cost of RM983 million.

According to Najib, three main causes of river pollution were the disposal of industrial sewage, domestic sewage and animal farming activity.

He said commitment from all quarters was vital to treat all kinds of sewage and industrial waste properly to ensure that water sources in the country were not polluted.

On the Pantai 2 Sewage Treatment Plant, the prime minister said the successful construction of the plant proved the government's commitment to ensuring the wellbeing of the people and in protecting the environment.

He said the plant now has the capacity to accommodate the needs of 1.42 million population equivalent up to the year 2035.

In fact, he said such a high capacity was capable of helping the government to increase sewerage services coverage for major towns nationwide by 2020.

He said the plant was not only adopting with world-class green technology, but also the first underground sewage treatment plant in Malaysian and the largest in Asia Pacific.

Najib said the construction of the plant had also changed the perception that a sewage treatment plant is a dirty, smelly and an unpleasant place.

"We are gathered here today on top of a modern and clean sewage treatment plant, which is an innovation undertaken by the government for the wellbeing of the people.

"This area here, on top of the plant, will be used as recreational area, which is now known as Pantai Eco Park.

"What''s more interesting is that the 12-hectare Pantai Eco Park has been equipped with various facilities, such as community centre, jogging track, futsal court, football field and courts for other sports," he said.

Besides, he said such a plant could also produce waste by-products such as biosolids, bioeffluent or treated wastewater and biogas through the ''Waste to Wealth'' approach.

"I was made to understand that part of the treated wastewater produced will be used again for the treatment process, while the remaining will be used to wash and clean the equipment at the plant.

"At the same time, biogas will be used to generate electricity to support the operation of this plant," he said, adding that the plant was also equipped with the infrastructure to harvest rainwater and solar energy.

Also present at the launch were Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Maximus Johnity Ongkili, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

-- BERNAMA