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The Landscape Of Water Sector In Asean Countries Has Shown A Significant Change Over The Past Decade. This Progressive Transformation Is Expected To Continue In The Next Decade In Order To Cater The Water Demand In The Region. Word Economic Forum 2019 Has Highlighted That Access To Clean Water Supply And Water Shortages Are Among The Significant Issues That Need To Be Address By Local Policymakers. Besides, A Study Conducted Also Shown That Most Water Supply System In The Region Started To Experience Constant Disruption Due To Contamination Of Water Resources And River By Emerging Pollutants.
Furthermore, Ageing Water Infrastructure Also Contribute To Water Supply Shortages And Disruptions. On The Other Hand, The Existing Manual Operation In Both Production And Distribution Lead To Underutilizing / Overutilizing The Existing Water Assets. Some Common Examples Of Manual Operation In Water Sectors Are Water Sampling, Chemical Dosing, Pump Operation And Etc. The Manual Operation Will Somehow Lead To Data Violation As Well As A Longer Decision-Making Process May Be Needed. As One Of The Developing Countries, Malaysia Is Also Facing Similar Challenges. Thus, Vital Action Needs To Taken By The Malaysian Government Especially On Benchmarking The Existing Policies Against With Highly Developed Countries In Water Sector For A Dynamic Water Ecosystem. The Fourth Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0) Policy Introduced By The Malaysian Government In Late 2021 Promotes The Local Industry Players On Exploring Emerging Technology, Big Data And Advanced Data Analytic System To Improved The Overall Operation And Efficiency. The Smart Water System Will Provide Seamless Integration For Future Performance Monitoring (Cover Operation As Well As Water Quality) And Strategic Decision Making By Eliminating Human Error. Real Time Monitoring For Both Production And Distribution Will Further Improved The Overall Operation. Water Quality Sensor Installed In Upstream Of The Water Source Will Collect Important Parameter Such As Ph, Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity, Conductivity, Temperature, And So On. Any Drastic Changes In Raw Water Quality (Due Pollution / Climate Changes) Will Triggered The Water Operator At Water Treatment Plant. The Real-Time Data Received Will Further Then Assist The Operator To Decide And Adjust The Correct Chemical Dosing To Treat The Water. Besides, Under Certain Circumstances (If Pollutant Is Too High), The Real-Time Data Monitoring Also Will Help The Operator And Management To Make A Faster Decision If The Plant Needs To Shut Down. In Any State Or Community, The Water Demand Varies On A Seasonal, Daily And Hourly Basis. For Instance, The Peak Demand In Residential Area Usually Occurs In The Morning And Early Evening Hours (Just Before And After The Normal Workday). Thus, Real-Time Monitoring In Distribution Network For Critical Parameter Such As Flow, Pressure And Reservoir Levels Will Help The Operator To Have The ‘Big Picture’ On What Happening On Site. It Also Will Help To Reduce The Reservoir Overflowing Cases Which Will Leads To Non-Revenue Water (NRW). A Study Conducted Before, Some Water Operator In The Region Recorded Up To 65% Losses With A Total Of 30% In Average Of Losses. Main Contribution Of The High NRW In The Region Are Mainly Due To Pipe Burst And Reservoir Overflowing. On The Other Hand, Water Operator In The Region Is Also Looking Into The Digital Twin Implementation To Improve The Overall Operation. Digital Twin Is A Virtual Model That Replicates The Real Behavior Of The System (Production And Distribution) And Will Simulates Its Response Under Any Conditions. The Model Is Automatically Updated Hourly (Some Cases Updated Every Second) With Real Time Data And Key Simulation Results Extracted And Stored. The Digital Twin Will Enable The Water Operators To Fully Understand The Processes / Operations That Are Taking Place And Plan Future Scenarios And Actions Through Simulations And Optimize System Performance. It Is Expected That The Digital Twin Is An Ideal Tool For The Rapid And Cost-Effective Development, Optimization Of Control And Automation Strategies. The Water Operator Able To Conduct Routine Optimizations To Align With Production Forecast Updates. Thus, This Will Help The Water Operator To Avoid Any Unplanned Shutdown / Water Interruption. Besides, It Helps The Water Operator To Anticipate Potential Problems And Be More Agile In Its Responses, Reducing Risks, Time And Costs. The Overall Water Grid Infrastructure In The Region Requires Progressive Upgrade Which Allows The Water Operators To Continuously Monitor, Pre-Empt Risks And The Action To Be Taken Associated With Emerging Pollutants, Enhance The Quality Of Service Which Subsequently Will Aid To Reduce The Percentage Of NRW And Increasing The Overall Region Water Reserve Margins. By Strengthening These Two Main Systems Of The Water Ecosystem, It Is Expected That The Region Itself Can Achieve A Much Higher-Value Added Amount To The Surrounding Economy And Thus Transform Into A Dynamic Economic Sector. It Is An Interesting Journey For All Policymakers And Water Operators In The Upcoming Years As The Technology Keep Evolving From Time To Time And The Forward Momentum Looks Promising For Future Technological Developments.
