Water Treatment Plant in Malaysia

By:

Beverly Ann D Silva, S.Ked 04084841820005

Jessica Jaclyn Ratnarajah, S.Ked 04084821820052
Liaw Yin Jin, S.Ked 04084821820051
Vejitha Raja Kumar, S.Ked 04084821820050

Supervisor:
dr. Tri Hari Irfani

IKM-IKK DEPARTMENT OF THE MEDICAL FACULTY OF

SRIWIJAYA UNIVERSITY 2018

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 FOREWORD

Praise and gratitude the writer sent to Allah SWT because of His mercy and blessings
the Scientific Study entitled "Water Treatment Plant in Malaysia" can be completed
on time. This Scientific Review was made to fulfill one of the senior clinical clerical
examination requirements at the IKM-IKK Department of the Medical Faculty of
Sriwijaya University. The author also wants to thank Dr. Tri Hari Irfani for his guidance
so that this writing is better.

The author is aware that there are still many shortcomings and errors in writing this
scientific study. Therefore suggestions and criticisms that build very much the authors
expect for better writing in the future.

Palembang, October 2018

Author

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE

FOREWORD .........................................................................................................2

TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................3

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION...........................................................................4

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................5

CHAPTER III CONCLUSION ..........................................................................13

REFERENCES .....................................................................................................14

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 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

As the country grows so does the problem of providing sufficient clean water
to the population and until about five decades ago, Malaysia’s waste disposal system
was no different from what is still found in many developing countries. Malaysia’s 27
million people generate about 6 million tons of sewage every year, most of which is
treated and released into the rivers.

Proper treatment of sewerage is paramount as about 98% of Malaysia’s fresh

water supply comes from surface water. Raw surface water becomes contaminated as
a result of excessive and indiscriminate discharge of wastewater directly from
household or factories to drains and into the river with minimal or no treatment. This
impairment of water quality greatly reduces the usability of the water for ordinary
purposes or in a worst case scenario creates a hazard to public health through poisoning
or the spread of diseases. To combat this, around 8,000 public sewage treatment plants,
500 network pumping stations, 17,000 kilometers of underground sewerage pipes and
half a million household septic tanks connected to the sewers.

In response to the increasing demand for a better and effective sanitation

services, private companies were encouraged by the government to build waste water
management systems.

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 CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW

Water Resources Management in Malaysia

Water resources development has been a catalyst for socioeconomic development of

the county. However, the water situation for some parts of the country has changed
from one of relative abundance to one of scarcity. The growth in population and
expansion in urbanization, industrialization and irrigated agriculture are imposing
growing demands and pressure on water resources, besides contributing to rising water
pollution. Any new development of water resources incurs rising costs, besides having
to face rigorous scrutinisation from environmentalists and conservationists. The fact
that the volume of water available is finite nd the demand for water is increasing
indicates that the supply approach in water management is unsustainable. The national
water supply coverage in 2003 is 93% that is 97% and 86% for urban and rural areas
respectively. The estimated population in 2003 is 24.5 million with urban-rural
proportion of 60:40.

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1. RAW WATER RESOURCE

Raw water supply is obtained from Sungai Perak which is close to the plant. Water is
pumped from the river using four submersible pumps each with a capacity of 1,110 m3
per hour which will go through several stages of the treatment process before being
available for consumption. Briefly, the process of water treatment plant are as follows:

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2. SCREENING

Raw water will go through a screening process at the intake to separate physical
materials such as wood, sand, grass and etc.

RAW WATER SOURCE FOR WATER TREATMENT PLANT

3. AERATION

Raw water is pumped into the cascade aerator. Here the water is exposed to the
atmosphere to increase the oxygen content and will also get rid of the smell and taste
of the water through the process of oxidation. This process can also oxidize iron
(FeRAM) and manganese to an insoluble state.

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AERATION

4. FLOCCULATION

After aeration, liquid aluminum sulphate is introduces into the raw water. Water flows
into two storage tanks where flocculation occurs. The chemical reaction will cause the
fine particles to form a vicious (floc) larger and heavier particle. Flow in the
coagulation tank is controlled to obtain optimal coagulation. The thicken particles
formed will trap bacteria and color of the water will change. Alum is used to simplify
the process of settling.

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FLOCCULATION TANK

5. SEDIMENTATION

Water containing floc will flow into settling tanks. Here floc will be formed into being
larger and heavier which will settle to the bottom of the sedimentation tank and we will
have clear water.

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SETTLING TANK

6. FILTERATION

Next, water will flow into the tank. The plant has four units of rapid gravity sand filters
that uses river sand as material. Air goes through the sand filter which will trap fine
mud on sand filter. Pipes beneath the sand filter will receive crystal clear water that has
been filtered. To guarantee the quality of water, sand filters will be cleaned at certain
times. The washing process called back wash in this plant is controlled automatically.

FILTERATION TANK

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7. CHLORINATION

Filtered water will flow into the clean water tank where chlorine is added. Chlorine is
to kill germs and microorganisms present in the water to make it safe to drink.

8. PH ADJUSTMENT

Hydrated lime is used to ensure clean water with the desired range in pH value. Water
pH is lowered during the coagulation process because of the addition of alum.
Therefore lime is added into the purified water to raise the pH to the desired level.
Appopriate pH value is required because if it is acidic (low) it will erode the water
supply pipes and if alkaline, it will form deposits on the water supply system.

9. FLUORIDASI

Sodium fluoride is also added into the clean water. Fluoride is dosed to help maintain
dental health in children.

10. CLEAN WATER TANK

Clean water will be stored in clean water tanks before being distributed.

11. WATER QUALITY MONITORING

The laboratory in this plant is equipped with water quality testing equipment. Water
quality tests are conducted on a sample of raw water, on the water sediment and clean
water. Water samples are taken every two hours and tested in the plant laboratory to
ensure water supplied is in compliance with the standards as established by the Ministry
Of Health. Water quality parameters for pH values, turbidity, residual chlorine and
fluoride monitored directly with online test equipment.

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WATER QUALITY MONITORING DEVICE: 'ONLINE MONITORING WATER
QUALITY'

12. WATER DISTRIBUTATION SYSTEM

From the clean water tank, water is pumped into the resevoir in Bandar Baru Seri
Iskandar (with a capacity of: 13.5 million liters) through pipes with a diameter of
750mm along the 9 kilometers route. From this reservoir water is supplied to the water
distribution system through pipes of diameter 900mm and 700mm. The area of supply
from this plant covers the whole area of Seri Iskandar including UTP, UiTM, industrial
areas BBDI, Felcra Nasaruddin, Bota Kanan, Lambor Kanan and Pulau Tiga Lambor.

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 CHAPTER III CONCLUSION

Malaysia has seen spectacular sewerage development over the last 20 years
through public-private partnership. Conflicts in water management needs to be
resolved via social, environmental and economic balances. Moving towards full cost
recovery is tough but a share from beneficiaries may make the sewerage services
sustainable. There are potential of resource recovery in the sewerage sector such as bio
effluent, bio solids and biogas, plus others than can move the 29 industry from utility
to new ventures. There is a need for structured capacity development programs in the
sewerage industry to lift the standard of the sector in the future.

We must rethink water management, where water is everybody’s responsibility

and we are part of the solution. We no longer live in the era which we could have
indefinite expansion of water services and supplies. We have to focus on how we use
water. That’s where new water will be ‘found’. The water authorities, purveyors and
consumers must play their role in water resources and supply conservation from capture
to consumption and to wastewater discharge.

At the international level, there is a need for sustained and adequate financing
for the development of water supply and sewerage infrastructure in developing
countries. This is crucial because the availability of basic water supply and sewerage
infrastructure is a prerequisite to economic development, poverty eradication and
improvement of the quality of life of the people.

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 REFERENCES

1. Department of Environment (DOE), Malaysia. 2011. Malaysia Environmental

Quality Report 2011. p. 24 & 84 – 85. Misas Advertising Sdn. Bhd.

2. Department of Statistics, Malaysia. 2011. Population Distribution and Basic

Demographic Characteristics. p. 1.

3. Indah Water Konsortium Sdn. Bhd. (IWK). 2011. Sustainability Report 2011.
p. 101. IWK.

4. Malaysian Water Association (MWA). 2012. Malaysia Water Industry Guide

2012. p. 55. MWA.

5. Ministry of Health (MOH), Malaysia. 2011. Water Supply & Environmental

Sanitation (BAKAS) Program Annual Report 2011. Engineering Services
Division,

6. MOH. Mohd. Azhari bin Ghazalli, Khardzir Husain. Groundwater resources

development for agricultural use in Malaysia.

7. National Water Services Commission (SPAN). 2009. Malaysia Sewerage

Industry Guidelines Volume IV: Sewage Treatment Plants. Third edition. p. 6
– 7. SPAN.

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