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PROVIDING a clean and safe water supply is an ongoing commitment for water operators.

Over the years, water operators have implemented various innovative advancements to treat raw water into drinkable water. Through such technologies, Air Selangor is able to provide consumers with water that is safe to drink from the tap.

In fact, a 2018 media statement by The National Water Services Commission (SPAN) confirmed the safety of Malaysia’s pipe water for direct consumption.

As the largest water operator in the country and in the region, Air Selangor is responsible for distributing a clean and safe water supply to over eight million consumers in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya with a pipeline network of 29,508km.

Every day, Air Selangor distributes 5,000 million litres of treated water supply. This allows consumers to enjoy clean and safe water compliant with the National Standard for Drinking Water Quality, published by the Ministry of Health Malaysia based on the Water Quality Guidelines set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Trust Our Tap 2028

In ensuring its ongoing commitment in providing a clean and safe water supply, Air Selangor has formulated a long-term strategy – Trust Our Tap 2028.

This includes a holistic approach in ensuring a safe water supply through four main pillars, namely:

• The protection of raw water resources
• Water quality control and monitoring
• Increasing their laboratory’s capacity and capability to diagnose
• The preservation and treatment of treated water quality

The continuous demand for clean and safe water remains a priority for all water operators. Despite the challenges faced, Air Selangor remains steadfast and committed to exploring the measures that will ensure a dependable water supply for consumers.

Some consumers with water filter systems at home may be alarmed when they see brownish sediments during the backwash process. However, according to Air Selangor, home water filter systems usually trap minerals from the water supply – accumulated minerals will oxidise and result in brownish sediment over time.

Instead, consumers can rest assured that treated water by Air Selangor complies with the highest national standards, and need not worry about the quality and safety of the water supply.

The technology behind it

In Air Selangor, the three main regional laboratories are located at Sungai Selangor Phase 2 (SSP2), Sungai Labu and Sungai Semenyih Water Treatment Plants. These labs employ 20 experienced chemists and microbiologists under the Laboratory Service Section within the Water Quality Department.

The chemists and microbiologists are tasked with day-to-day responsibilities of ensuring the water quality analysis is conducted with accredited methods and adheres to the national standard. This includes sampling activities at all 34 water treatment plants managed by Air Selangor and along its distribution lines. They conduct water analysis on-site for physical parameters, while performing chemical and microbiological testing at the regional laboratories.

The regional laboratories are accredited by the Department of Standards Malaysia (DSM) in ISO/ IEC 17025:2017 and are equipped with three types of advanced analytical instrumentations:

• Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Quadrupole Time of Flight (LCMS-QTOF)
• Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS)
• Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GCMS)

These instruments can detect a wide range of contaminants, trace metals and emerging pollutants which also includes pharmaceutical products and solvents, all at low levels of concentration. To ensure the integrity of test results and more systematic lab data management, Air Selangor also utilises Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) in all the regional laboratories.

Thanks to these innovations, Air Selangor is at the forefront of the water services industry.

Besides that, the Off-Plant Autonomous Chlorine Injection System (OACIS), a part of the Trust Our Tap initiative, is an automated secondary chlorine dosing system used to address the issue of Free Residual Chlorine (FRC) non-compliance in the distribution system.

Chlorine is an important disinfectant to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms in the treated water supply. These secondary dosing systems are installed in areas that have been identified as facing low concentration of Free Residual Chlorine which occurs due to low water consumption rates.

Additionally, Hybrid Distribution Water Quality Real-Time Analyser (HYDRA), an online water quality station installed at the reservoirs’ outlet is also utilised. Through HYDRA, data readings are recorded and monitored every 15 minutes digitally, as opposed to the manual sampling methods taken weekly or monthly.

All information and data related to the water quality’s non-compliance, warning notifications and instrument status will be displayed in the HYDRA web portal.

TRIVIA

• Air Selangor delivers safe drinking water to homes.
• Air Selangor appointed Universiti Sains Malaysia as the Air Selangor’s Water Forensic Expert for Raw Water Pollution Incident.
• Air Selangor is collaborating with Universiti Malaya on a study for the sustainability and resilient water supply at Rawang River Sub-Basin.

To find out more about Air Selangor and its water supply, visit their website.