Malaysia Should Not Take For Granted Its Abundance Of Clean Water

KOTA KINABALU (Sabah, Malaysia), March 20 (Bernama) -- Malaysia, which is blessed with abundance of clean water, should not take for granted that freshwater will always be available as the global warming is evidently taking its effect, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan said. He said climate change in the country had shown negative impacts on human habitats including water resources. "It will have major impacts on the availability of water for growing food and on crop productivity in the decades to come. "The livelihoods of rural communities as well as food security of city populations will be at risk, but the poor people will be the most vulnerable," he said in his speech when opening the State Level World Water Day Conference, here Tuesday. Pairin, who is also Infrastructure Development Minister, said the theme for this year's World Water Day -- "Water and Food Security" -- was timely to remind the people and the government to take serious measures with regard to the impacts of global warming. "Our future generations will experience shortage of water which in turn will result in poor health," he said, adding that almost a billion people in this world live without clean drinking water, and many have to travel far to gather little water for their family. In this respect, Pairin said global warming should be taken seriously by all parties to ensure that the physical and human environment were not greatly affected. "This is a task for all of us. Various incentives have to be offered by the authorities including the government and non-government organisations, our development partners and individuals to enhance our own self-awareness about the factors leading to global warming," he said. As such, Pairin called on the community to be sensitive to each other's actions to avoid a more severe negative impact "and to ensure that the prosperity of this land remains for the next generations." Sabah is located at east Malaysia. -- BERNAMA