Development Aspects Impressum Editors

4000


3500



Water Consuption (m³)
3000


2500


2000


1500


1000


500

Jan 2007

Mar 2007


May 2007

Jul 2007

Sep 2007


Nov 2007

Jan 2008

Mar 2008


May 2008

Jul 2008

Sep 2008


Nov 2008

Jan 2009

Mar 2009


May 2009

Jul 2009

Sep 2009

Nov 2009

Jan 2010

Mar 2010

May 2010

Jul 2010
 Total

There are many challenges faced by this project in terms of trying to change peo- ple’s water-use behaviour. For example, people who are used to having five show- ers a day would be reluctant to cut it down to just two showers a day. Also, people who are used to washing their cars every day would be unhappy if they are told to wash their cars only once a week. This project faced many of these challenges. Some unhappy participants in fact pulled out from the project when they were asked to make these changes in their water use patterns. Some participants also had very little commitment to the project, and did not bother to inform the sec- retariat about quitting. Hence, new participants had to be solicited to join the water-saving project late. Another huge challenge was that of different cultural practices (nearly 50 per cent of the 100 participants are university students from foreign countries). It was found that some participants from Middle Eastern coun- tries liked to listen to the dripping of water and would leave the tap dripping all day, while some would shower as many times as they liked (since showering was a luxury in their dry countries). Penang’s extremely cheap water tariffs (compared with anywhere in the world) may have been a reason for this extravagance. Hence, Penangites also generally had an apathetic attitude towards water conservation. Penangites would save on energy, petrol, food and clothes, but would not save on water since it is so cheap. It costs only RM0.31 per cubic metre of water for domes- tic consumers. Another challenge is that many participants are very busy with their work and personal family life, leaving little time to take part in the project seriously.

They did not bother to commit to the project and spent little time or effort to save water. Many participants mentioned that their water bills were already very low, some paying only RM2.50 per month. Hence, they feel that trying to save water is a complete “waste of time”. Overall, it was found that apartment residents need attractive incentives before they get involved in water conservation. They did not understand or buy the idea that saving water means saving it for the environment or for their children. Many viewed water conservation as an investment, and found the rewards not attractive at all.

Nevertheless, bringing people together in this project and getting them to talk and mix with one another was a blessing for the project as well as for harmonious living. Results showed that the participants had better awareness and were able to understand and practise water conservation much better than those who were not part of the project. Hence, it can be concluded that participants in the project had built up their capacities as far as water conservation is concerned. Before the project started, they knew little about water conservation. After the project, they are able to figure out what is needed to save water, what equipment or water fit- tings are required, how to calculate their per capita water bill and water usage, how to run a water-saving campaign, how to organize stakeholders’ discussion, public seminars and most of all how to get people to come for meetings and discussions. It was also found that participants in the project are more likely to attend meetings if they are approached personally rather than through phone calls, e-mails or no- tices in their mailboxes. It was learnt from this project that people cannot be forced to take part. Only those who took part voluntarily stayed on while those who were dragged to the meetings eventually quit. It was also found that it was more effec- tive to get participants to persuade their neighbours or friends to take part rather than going door-to-door.
In retrospect, many lessons have been learned from this project about capacity development and training of the participants, which are difficult aspects to con- front. In terms of the content of capacity development, the training sessions were designed with fixed themes: (i) why the need to save water? (ii) water-saving tips;
(iii) problems and solutions related to water savings; (iv) water quality issues; and
(v) water pressure management. From the results, it was found that this project has successfully increased the water management capacity (in the area of water savings) of a number of actors. First, major players in the water arena, such as the water service provider PBAPP Sdn Bhd, government agencies such as the Drain- age and Irrigation Department and Municipal Council of Penang Island, apart- ment management corporations such as the N-Park Management Corporation and NGOs such as Water Watch Penang, gained experience in the area of working together in smart partnerships. In contrast to the past when each of these organi- zations worked on the same issue separately, thereby wasting resources and even competing against one another, this project showed that limited resources could be pooled and used effectively. The various expertise of different organizations was employed in a complementary manner to assist one another rather than compete against one another. Second, the capacity of government agencies and private companies in dealing with and working with NGOs and communities was also enhanced. In the past, these organisations viewed NGOs as “anti-government”

and “anti-development”, but from this project, they learned that much can be gained working with NGOs and communities. Third, the capacity of NGOs and local communities in dealing with and working with government agencies and pri- vate companies was also enhanced. In the past, NGOs merely received grants or donations but from this project, they learned that government departments and private companies have much more to offer in terms of expertise, resources and project implementation than just money. Fourth, the N-Park Management Corpo- ration’s capacity in terms of water management was greatly enhanced. This cor- poration is now well known and other apartments are seeking its help in executing similar water-saving projects. The Penang State Government is also looking at the prospect of replicating the N-Park project state-wide. This shows that the message is spreading fast and once other apartments follow, the capacities of other apart- ment management corporations will be similarly enhanced. Fifth, residents taking part in the project also experienced enhanced capacities in terms of what they know about water savings. Those taking part can now easily implement water- saving procedures, install simple water-saving equipment and teach others to do the same.

In terms of delivery approach, it was found that participants, whether organi- zations or people, need to be convinced that a project is important, viable and meaningful to them before they will come on board. Organizations and people cannot be forced to take part in projects. It was found that those who were not interested but were coaxed or forced to participate would eventually drop out. Hence, the main delivery approach is that of stakeholder consultation, open dis- cussion and a friendly approach. Giving lectures was necessary as an approach but people became bored after a while. So, the alternative was to invite the par- ticipants to share their experiences. In this project, after the first few talks by in- vited guests and the project experts, speakers were subsequently selected from the organizations and participants. Hence, we had housewives, engineers, doctors, foreign participants (N-Park has a sizeable community of foreigners as it is located near to Universiti Sains Malaysia) and students sharing their experiences. Open discussion was always followed by food and drinks, and often it was during the break that great ideas and solutions surfaced.
In terms of assessment, the success of capacity development has been dem- onstrated in several ways. First, all organizations taking part are now capable of executing similar projects with other organizations. Second, NGOs and local com- munities have enhanced their capacities to save water and manage water con- sumption. They have also enhanced their capacities to work with government agencies and private companies. Third, participants have increased their under- standing of water issues and the importance of saving water, how to save water and how to manage their water demands. Fourth, the best assessment proving that capacity has been developed is that of water consumption of the entire N-Park apartment block, showing a decreasing trend after project implementation. Finally, the participants taking part also showed a decrease in water consumption in their individual household units.

3.