Development Aspects Impressum Editors

The N-Park Negalitres water conservation project

The N-Park Negalitres water conservation project is a pilot project and the first of its kind in Malaysia, both in terms of WDM and in terms of its target for condo- minium/apartment units. This water-saving project is an initiative funded by the Malaysian Government (via EPU), managed by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID), Malaysia, and jointly carried out by DID, Water Watch Penang (WWP), N-Park Management Corporation (NPMC) and Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang Sdn Bhd (PBA). The project consists of three components: (i) instal- lation of a rainfall harvesting system; (ii) installation of water-saving fittings in the common toilets; and (iii) installation of minor water-saving fittings in 100 selected residential units, coupled with increasing awareness and education amongst resi- dents in the entire condominium. Water-saving equipment is installed in the kitch- en and toilets of each participating household as the main objective of this project is to reduce the water consumption of the condominium. The target of this pilot project is to reduce piped water usage by 10 per cent annually. Prior to the project

initiation, an assessment of the participants’ awareness of water and environmen- tal issues was carried out and it was found that residents had little awareness or did not care since water was cheap and freely available.

Traditionally, government agencies, the private sector and NGOs worked sepa- rately in the area of water management. In this project, however, the importance of involving all relevant stakeholders was emphasized so that in this project, be- sides the residents, the N-Park Management Corporation and its staff were also actively involved. So too was the water company PBAPP Sdn Bhd, as well as the government’s Drainage and Irrigation Department Penang. Water Watch Penang, the lead NGO, was also instrumental in facilitating the project.
The project began with the official launch on 21 August 2009 (figure 1). On 31 October 2009, the rainwater harvesting project was launched. This system con- sists of six sets of rainwater harvesting tanks of 10,000 litres each. The tanks were installed after several months of preparatory survey repairs to existing roofs and gutters, connecting to tanks, and other plumbing works. The official launch was undertaken by the (then) Director of DID Penang, Tuan Haji Hanapi bin Mohamad Noor together with Professor Dr Chan Ngai Weng representing WWP and NPMC (figure 2). The rainwater harvesting project is the first in the nation for condo- minium units (Yeoh, 2009, August 22).



Figure 1: The N-Park Negalitres pilot water-saving initiative in The Star, 22 August 2009
Source: Yeoh, 2009, August 22


Figure 2: Director of DID Penang, Tuan Haji Hanapi bin Mohamad Noor (right) together with Professor Dr Chan Ngai Weng (left) at the launch of the N-Park rainwater harvesting project





Source: Yeoh, 2009


Following the launch, the water conservation project for household units com- menced. Initially about 60 residents from Blocks A, B, C and D of N-Park condo- minium agreed to participate in this project. The participants were visited by the two water auditors, Hong Chern Wern and Chan Men Yen, every Wednesday, Fri- day and Saturday (night-time on weekdays and daytime at weekends) every week. The auditors also discussed the household water survey questionnaire with resi- dents. The questions included: water usage pattern (total litres per day per capita); water-saving techniques practised at home; willingness to pay for the water-saving equipment; perception of the current water rates in Penang; willingness to pay for an increment in the water rates in Penang; and other water-related issues. Once a month, the participants had a meeting and were briefed about the project, led by a trainer. Volunteers were trained and their performance assessed before they were certified as fit to run the activities. All the volunteers were observed and as- sessed and then the enthusiastic and committed ones were picked out to facilitate the training sessions. During the sessions, observations continued and changes were made if any trainer was found to be inadequate. The sessions discussed the rainwater harvesting project and the water-efficient fittings in the common area toilets, as well as the effectiveness of the household water-saving fittings and the problems faced. Participants were also constantly being educated about water conservation and the water situation in Penang in order to increase their aware- ness and to instil a sense of caring for water by creating a water-saving community in N-Park, which is one of the main objectives of this water conservation project. The trainers/teachers were selected from a pool of volunteers. During the sessions, educating the participants involved first giving a talk on the general background

of the topic. The speaker selected was able to keep the participants interested. Lots of stories, pictures, video clips and music were incorporated to make the talk interesting. This was followed by open discussions and a Q&A session. Video docu- mentaries, drama, exhibitions and a water painting competition were also used to increase awareness and education on water. During the training sessions, various topics were discussed.

1. 
   Introduction to global and local water issues
   

2. 
   What is happening internationally, nationally and locally?
   

3. 
   Water problems in the world and in the local context
   

4. 
   What causes water problems?
   

5. 
   Is water the government’s responsibility alone?
   

6. 
   How can we solve water problems? What can we do at home and in the office to solve some of our water problems?
   
7. 
   What water-saving equipment is available, how much do they cost and how to fix them?
   
8. 
   How can you spread the message of the importance of water saving to others and teach others what you know?
   

3.