Abstract:

Water conservation and management has become essential in all regions of the world, even where water seems abundant. This is because the planet’s water resources are finite, and they are getting smaller every year. The increasing world population and ever expanding agricultural sector especially animal farming, demands large consumption of water. An ignorant public, uncontrolled usage and ineffective water management are the major culprits for the depletion of water resources. Water is always neglected as a State matter in Malaysia. However, lately, the federal government is seen as overreaching on the jurisdiction of the state government through the promulgation of the National Water Services Act 2006 and the Water resources Bill 2018. Although the federal government emphasises the purposes of this law is to harmonise the water law in Malaysia and ensuing the sustainability of the water sector, the state government has become suspicious and refuses to cooperate with the federal government. In this paper, the authors analyse the challenges from the federal government’s perspective and recommends an effective policy and water management, modelling policies and strategies successfully implemented by European and regional governments.  The aim of this paper is to explore whether such framings can be implemented in Malaysia to resolve current impediments.