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CHAPTER 6 - Water Resource Management Issues in Malaysia
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- By Salmah Zakaria, National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS), Indonesia
- Edited by Poh Onn Lee
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- Book:
- Water Issues in Southeast Asia
- Published by:
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
- Published online:
- 21 October 2015
- Print publication:
- 19 November 2012, pp 119-135
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Summary
INTRODUCTION
Water is of vital importance in sustaining life in this world, in various forms. The hydrological cycle in nature involves the evaporation of water, and its precipitation and flow, which is life supporting. The rise and fall of great civilization such as in the valleys of the Indus and Tigris and Euphrates have been attributed to changes in the hydrological cycle, both natural and artificial. In recent years, human activities have exerted greater influence on the hydrological cycle. This has resulted in the emergence of serious and considerable damage not only to water systems, but ultimately, unless arrested, will impact on the economic and sociopolitical activities of the people. The ASEAN region and Malaysia in particular, have not been isolated from this phenomenon.
The ongoing process of urbanization the world over, has worsened our vulnerability to water disasters, and many countries have been afflicted by repeated cycles of floods and droughts. The excesses of human activities, solid waste and untreated wastewater, released into the environment, are apt to worsen the water quality of our water bodies, both at and below the surface, causing widespread concern over our health and safety, and threatening the earth's ecological system.
Malaysia is signatory to the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) declaration of August 2002, which includes the commitment to halve by 2010 the proportion of people unable to reach and afford safe drinking water and by 2015, to halve the proportion of people who do not have access to basic sanitation. At the WSSD, agreement was reached on launching a programme of action to achieve these goals, and this includes the development of integrated water resource management (IWRM) and water efficiency plans by 2005.
Integrated water resources management (IWRM) as defined by the Global Water Partnership (GWP 2004) is a process which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources, in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.
Chapter 6 - National Systems for Managing the Risks from Climate Extremes and Disasters
- from Section III
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- By Padma Narsey Lal, Tom Mitchell, Paulina Aldunce, Heather Auld, Reinhard Mechler, Alimullah Miyan, Luis Ernesto Romano, Salmah Zakaria, Andrew Dlugolecki, Takuo Masumoto, Neville Ash, Stefan Hochrainer, Robert Hodgson, Tarik Ul Islam, Sabrina McCormick, Carolina Neri, Roger Pulwarty, Ataur Rahman, Ben Ramalingam, Karen Sudmeier-Reiux, Emma Tompkins, John Twigg, Robert Wilby
- Edited by Christopher B. Field, Vicente Barros, Thomas F. Stocker, Qin Dahe
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- Book:
- Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation
- Published online:
- 05 August 2012
- Print publication:
- 28 May 2012, pp 339-392
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Summary
Executive Summary
This chapter assesses how countries are managing current and projected disaster risks, given knowledge of how risks are changing with observations and projections of weather and climate extremes [Table 3–2, 3.3], vulnerability and exposure [4.3], and impacts [4.4]. It focuses on the design of national systems for managing such risks, the roles played by actors involved in the system, and the functions they perform, acknowledging that complementary actions to manage risks are also taken at local and international level as described in Chapters 5 and 7.
National systems are at the core of countries' capacity to meet the challenges of observed and projected trends in exposure, vulnerability, and weather and climate extremes (high agreement, robust evidence). Effective national systems comprise multiple actors from national and sub-national governments, private sector, research bodies, and civil society, including community-based organizations, playing differential but complementary roles to manage risk according to their accepted functions and capacities. These actors work in partnership across temporal, spatial, administrative, and social scales, supported by relevant scientific and traditional knowledge. Specific characteristics of national systems vary between countries and across scales depending on their socio-cultural, political, and administrative environments and development status. [6.2]
The national level plays a key role in governing and managing disaster risks because national government is central to providing risk management-related public goods as it commonly maintains financial and organizational authority in planning and implementing these goods (high agreement, robust evidence). National governments are charged with the provision of public goods such as ensuring the economic and social well-being, safety, and security of their citizens from disasters, including the protection of the poorest and most vulnerable citizens. They also control budgetary allocations as well as creating legislative frameworks to guide actions by other actors.