Lessons from Malaysian

Sanitation Experience

Dorai Narayana

October 2018

MALAYSIA: 50 years ago

Direct discharges

Bucket toilet

Sewer overflows

Crumbling STPs

Polluted rivers

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Today

Diseases: cholera, dysentery

Weak management

Poor infrastructure condition

Legal / regulatory / institutional shortcomings

Awareness lacking

Capacity in Govt / private sector weak

Infrastructure

Governance

Legislative / regulatory

Institutional

Awareness

2018 and

beyond

2008

1970s &

1980s

Before

1957

• Local authorities

• Rural sanitation policy

• Urban policy to provide

basic sanitation

• Low technology

• Stringent but ineffective

regulations

1996

Poor sanitation

Prevalence of

waterborne diseases

• Federalisation & privatization

• Infrastructure improvement

• Operational improvement

• Integration water /

wastewater

• Owner / operator

• Focus on water resources

• Appropriate contextual strategy

• Resource recovery focus

• Sustainable business model

THE MALAYSIAN

JOURNEY

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SANITATION / SEWERAGE

MANAGEMENT UNDER LOCAL

AUTHORITIES

DEVELOPER DRIVEN

INFRASTRUCTURE

1994

FEDERALISATION &

PRIVATISATION

FEDERALISATION & PRIVATISATION

• Basic health first : toilets & containment

• Water resource pollution next : proper containment, emptying, treating, grey water

• Quick and uniform improvements through Centralised control

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1. Sewerage Services

2. Septic tank services

Regulate Effluent

Discharge

1. Policy / Strategy .

2. Regulate

Sewerage

Services

MINISTRY OF

FINANCE

MINISTRY OF ENERGY,

GREEN TECHNOLOGY

& WATER

MINISTRY OF NATURAL

RESOURCES &

ENVIRONMENT

GOVERNANCE & INSTITUTIONAL

SEPARATE REGULATORS FOR

SERVICES AND EFFLUENT QUALITY© dorainarayana 2018

Policy & targets

Economic regulation

Protect customers and

ensure sustainability of

operator

Operate / Provide services Funding / Asset

SPAN

Facilty Licensee Service Licensee

Policy

&

regulation

Asset

provision

Sewerage

services

Government

Capital Projects

GOVERNANCE & INSTITUTIONAL

SEPARATE REGULATION / OWNERSHIP

/ OPERATIONS© dorainarayana 2018

OVERALL SANITATION GOVERNANCE

MINISTRY OF

WATERMINISTRY OF

ENVIRONMENTGOVT

CAPEX Regulate Effluent

Discharges

Regulate Services,

technical, economic

Operator Sewerage

(Public Sewerage

Systems)

Septic tank services

Funding / provide assets

Facilty LicenseeOperate private

sewerage facility

Class Licensee

Desludging, Construction

Permit holder

DEVELOPER

CAPEX

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Lease

Source: SPAN

CLEAR ROLES

Effluent discharge standards

• 1974 EQA: : Stringent / absolute : largely ignored

• Based on location:

• Standard A : Upstream of drinking water intake

• Standard B : Downstream of drinking water intake

• 2009: Time based Categories

• Licence to contravene

• Self regulation through design, operational procedure, accredited operator / audit

sampling

• Appropriate contextualised standards

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IST AREA

IST AREA

NEW

DEVELOPMENT

NEW

DEVELOPMENT

NEW

DEVELOPMENT

VILLAGE AREA

TOWN CENTRE

&

COMMERCIAL AREA

PROPOSED

UNIVERSITY

FUTURE

DEVELOPMENT

AREA

LEGEND :

EXISTING SEWER

FUTURE SEWER

EXISTING SEWER AREA

NEW DEVELOPMENT

PROPOSED UNIVERSITY

U

0 5

km

RAUB STP

Combination of sanitation /

sewerage systems : -

• connected to sewer,

• decentralised

• community system

• septic tank

• pits

ON SITE SYSTEMS

WILL REMAIN

AND MUST BE MANAGED.

WASTEWATER SYSTEMS & TECHNOLOGIES

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SEWAGE

TREATMENT

TECHNOLOGIES

IN USE

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INCREMENTAL INTRODUCTION OF TECHNOLOGIES (with co-treatment)

WASTEWATER SYSTEMS & TECHNOLOGIES

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Sewer STP

Effluent

Sludge treatment

Tankered sludge

Solid / liquid separation

Co Treatment of sludge / sewage

Dried

solids

Effluent

Dried

solids

WASTEWATER SYSTEMS & TECHNOLOGIES

GOOD OPTION WHERE STPs EXIST OR ARE

BEING PLANNED, WHEN DONE PROPERLY© dorainarayana 2018

Solutions:

• Manned vs automated

• Outsourcing

• Refurbishment/rationalisation

• Early warning systems

• Electronic security systems

• Routine maintenance & housekeeping

• Preventive and predictive maintenance

• Engagement with regulators

• Risk management and asset

management

• Sludge Strategy; treatment & disposal

area

• Gradual upgrading sludge systems: co-

treatment, trenching, dedicated sites

• Acquiring new tankers

• Scheduled desludging

Operational Issues arising from:

•Stringent effluent Standard / Enforcement

•Growing number of decentralisedSTPs)

•High O&M cost

•Aging assets

•Lack of standardisation

•Theft / vandalism

•Disruption due to Illegal discharges

•Logistics and resources

•Sludge treatment & disposal facilities / sites

0

5,000,000

10,000,000

15,000,000

20,000,000

25,000,000

30,000,000

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

19981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017

Cu

rren

t P

E

No

of

STP

Year

NO…

OPERATIONAL ISSUES AND STRATEGIES

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© dorainarayana 2018

CROSS SUBSIDY

Source: SPAN

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

GOOD

INFRASTRUCTURE

THROUGH CONTROL

OF APPROVAL

PROCEDURES

DESLUDGINGService model

PRIOR TO 2008

• Scheduled Emptying: by

Indah water / outsourced

• Monthly tariff RM 6

• 30% success

POST 2008

• Liberalisation

• Owner may call any permit

holder (incl Indah Water)

• One off charges RM 230 – 300

• Sludge must be brought to Indah

Water facility for treatment

NEW PROPOSAL

• Indah Water to schedule

• Outsource emptying / transport

to permit holders

• Sludge must be brought to

Indah Water facility for treatment

• Volumetric tariff based on water

consumption

SCHEDULED DESLUDGING IS DIFFICULT AND SUCCESS RATE MUST BE ESTIMATED

CORRECTLY

UTILITY : SCHEDULING / BILLING / COLLECTION / TREATMENT

PRIVATE OPERATORS: EMPTYING AND TRANSPORT

Fee & Service not directly linked© dorainarayana 2018

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Septic tank desludging trend

IWK 20170

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

River water quality trend

DIRECT IMPACT OF

REGULAR DESLUDGING

ON RIVER POLLUTION

• Scheduled (Septic tanks, customers)

• Demand - Request by customer other than scheduled.

• Responsive - (non-std septic tanks, private STP, non-customer)

TYPE OF DESLUDGING SERVICES

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DEDICATED SLUDGE FACILITIES

IWK 2017Source: IWK

TREATMENT FACILITIES

WITHIN SHORT DISTANCE

OF ALL AREAS

Key Reasons for successes

• Driver – federal government : political push

• Policy, Legislative (law & regulations)

• Defined responsibilities

• Investment & infrastructure improvements: funding focus

• Guidelines, Operating instructions for management

• Appropriate technologies & gradual upgrading

• Economics : tariff, charges, subsidy

• Awareness, education & communications

• Training & capacity building: people & skills

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Neglected issues

• State & Local Governments left out

• Water / sewerage management separated

• Model based on full cost recovery from polluter - Community not ready to pay

• Flawed financial model – CAPEX / OPEX

• Political will to sustain – tariff review

• Asset aging , risks, rising expectations

• Tariff recovery mechanisms

• Desludging , sludge disposal issues

• Resource recovery issues

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Thank you