Ambassador Kirsten Rosenvold Geelan on water resources and water supply

The Edge Malaysia Weekly recently published an opinion piece from Denmark’s Ambassador in Malaysia, Kirsten Rosenvold Geelan where she states the importance of protecting freshwater resources and how we find ways to ensure reliable water supply.

In the Ambassador’s article titled ‘My say: It is all about water’, the Ambassador states that Danish companies have spent decades developing expertise in the water sector and that successive Danish governments have sought solutions to address Denmark’s limited natural resources. The task which has been greatly aided by close collaboration between multiple stakeholders has resulted in many Danish companies being at the forefront of research, technology development, and “best practices” in integrated water management, urban drainage, water supply, and wastewater treatment.

The ambassador writes, “Currently, the average rate of non-revenue water (NRW) in Malaysia is reportedly at about 35%. This compares with 7% in Denmark, one of the lowest in the world. For almost 30 years, water utilities in Denmark with a water loss of more than 10% have had to pay a penalty fee to the state. In addition, all properties connected to public water utilities are obliged to install smart water meters to provide more reliable data on real losses (leakages) as well as apparent losses (metering inaccuracies and unmetered consumption).”

The Ambassador remarks that water leakage is a challenge for many water utility companies but that Danish-designed pumps is paving the way for stable water pressure and the installation of smart water meters that use ultrasonic technology can help locate leakages quickly in the service connections and distribution lines. This is in addition to feeding into an analytical system platform that empowers the utility providers to have the right knowledge immediately, enabling the reduction of NRW for the benefit of the environment, consumers, and the water companies’ bottom line.

According to the Ambassador its essential to be mapping groundwater and states an example, “Airborne electromagnetic surveys designed by a Danish company have helped detect five million cubic meters of previously undetected groundwater in the Platte River area in Western Nebraska, in the US. This is not only an important tool to predict the level of groundwater deposits and evaluate the best locations for new sustainable drilling sites, but it also identifies leaking pumps, thereby contributing to the reduction of NRW.” Adding, “Often the business model is very simple: allowing for the implementation of water development projects through savings in energy costs and water leakages. This enables water utility companies to fix NRW issues and achieve water savings with a short payback time.”

Read the full article from Ambassador Kirsten Rosenvold Geelan here

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