by AFIQ HANIF / pic by BERNAMA

Nik Nazmi highlights the opportunities presented by sewage treatment plants, namely bio-solid, bio-effluent and bio-gas – pic source: Parliament Malaysia

THE sewerage sector in Malaysia holds significant untapped economic potential, says Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

He highlighted the opportunities presented by the three valuable by-products derived from sewage treatment plants, namely bio-solid, bio-effluent and bio-gas.

“In Malaysia, these by-products have shown promising potential for commercialisation, signalling a new era of economic growth and innovation,” he said in his opening speech read out by DG of the Sewerage Services Department Wan Abd Rahim Wan Abdullah at Trenchless Asia 2023 on Wednesday.

Nik Nazmi emphasised the need to fully explore and harness these opportunities for the benefit of the nation.

Specifically, Nazmi drew attention to the economic prospects of bio-effluent, a by-product that has garnered particular interest from the government.

“The government has implemented a dedicated agenda to maximise the utilisation of treated effluent for specific purposes.

“Under this initiative, Malaysia aims to produce a remarkable 1,500 million litres per day (MLD) of reclaimed water by 2030.

“This substantial quantity of reclaimed water will primarily serve non-potable applications and function as an alternative water source for select industries,” he said.