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Appreciation for water resources through KPPSA modules

Appreciation for water resources through KPPSA modules

Monday, 13/2/2023

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Two frequent phenomena in the country are related to water, where an excess of it due to heavy rain leads to flood and lack of it gives rise to draught and water ration.   

These two events need to be managed well, in line with the nation’s water resource policy and the sustainable development goals (SDGs). 

To ensure the sustainability of the country’s water resources, relevant agencies are doing their best in terms of water management. In addition, public messages need to reach every level of the society.  

Among the messages that need to be conveyed to the people are those relating to the importance of maintaining water resouces and practicing water saving so as to enable future generations to enjoy sufficient water supply just like the current society. 

The establishment of UNESCO-IHP Malaysia through the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (JPS) is inline with the effort to conserve the country’s water resources and carry out awareness activities for each segment of the society.  

Awareness activities for the society have been multiplied through collaborations between the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (I-IHP) such as public and private universities and agencies under the Minsitry of Environment and Water (KASA).  

The concept of water resouce management today is no longer only of interest to stakeholders but it should be a public knowledge that needs to be disseminated among every level of the society.  

As one of the UNESCO-IHP agency partners, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) through its Faculty of Ocean Engineering and Informatics organized a water-awareness event called Kem Perintis Prihatin Sumber Air (KPPSA) last year in collaboration with the Faculty of Earth Science, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) and Institut ESERI, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UNISZA). 

Taking part in the camp were 34 students from five public universities, namely Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UNISZA), Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK), Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM). 

These students were selected to be agents that disseminate knowledge regarding water resources and they were called Future Knowledge Pioneers. KPPSA 2022 that focused on two branches of knowledge, namely water resource management and marine pollution, was the third in the series after the same event was held in 2019 and 2020.  

The intensive camp was held to provide exposure and understanding about the status, opportunities, and challenges regarding managing water and marine resources and increasing the awareness about the importance of managing both resources wisely for the survival of future generations.  

For this camp, all the modules and activities were carried out in the actual field, different from previous camps where some activities were conducted in class. What was unique about the last camp is that participants were brought to Redang Island to examine the water resources there and spent a night at Kenyir Lake to check on Terengganu River Basin water source. 

The marine pollution module was completed on the first day at Redang Island. The module exposed the participants to sampling techniques and methods to analyze microplastic pollution.  

The next module was completed on the second day at Saok Waterfall near the participants’ lodging at Kenyir Natural Research Station (SPAK).  

At Saok, six more modules were completed, namely Bioindicators of Water Quality, Water Quality Assessment, River Flow Rate, Water Treatment, Forests and Rivers, and Water and Solid Waste Issues. All the modules exposed the participants to hands-on activities such as sampling techniques, use of in-situ measuring instruments, and invention using used materials. 

As pioneers, the participants became agents that disseminate knowledge regarding water and marine resource conservation among their peers when they returned to their universities.