On 30 July 2026, the Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia (ACEM) took part in Bengkel Bersama Pemegang Taruh Berhubung Pembangunan Garis Panduan Air Pulih Guna, the Stakeholder Workshop on the Development of the Reclaimed Water Guidelines, organised by the National Water Services Commission (Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Air Negara, SPAN) at Hotel DoubleTree by Hilton Putrajaya.
The workshop forms part of SPAN’s broader initiative to build a national policy and regulatory framework for reclaimed water: treated sewage effluent that is further processed for reuse in non-potable applications such as industrial processing, cooling, irrigation of non-food crops and landscaping. The initiative is organised around six national focus areas covering governance and legislation, planning and demand, economic models and financing, technology and infrastructure, regulatory compliance, and public awareness and competency — reflecting the scale of ambition behind the programme as Malaysia looks to reduce reliance on potable water and strengthen long-term water security.
Agenda
The day opened with an address from SPAN’s senior leadership, followed by presentations introducing the draft Reclaimed Water Guidelines and an overview of ongoing reclaimed water initiatives by Indah Water Konsortium (IWK). The remainder of the day was structured around two facilitated group discussion sessions, running through the morning and afternoon, in which participants were divided into groups to consider two broad themes: planning and demand for reclaimed water, and the substance of the draft Guidelines themselves.
Attendees
Participants represented a wide cross-section of the water and infrastructure ecosystem, including federal ministries, state water authorities and regulators, national water operators and treatment consortia, planning agencies, investment promotion bodies, industry associations, and consulting engineering firms. ACEM’s participation ensured that the perspective of the consulting engineering profession, as the party most directly responsible for the planning, design, certification and supervision of this infrastructure, was represented at the table.
Objective
The workshop’s stated aim was to develop a comprehensive set of proposals for increasing demand, market acceptance and orderly implementation of reclaimed water in Malaysia, through clear strategy, action plans and implementation priorities, feeding into both a Demand Development Roadmap and the finalisation of the Reclaimed Water Guidelines themselves.
ACEM’s Contribution
ACEM reviewed the draft Guidelines against applicable Malaysian legislation and relevant international standards and practice, and submitted written comments focused on matters of direct relevance to engineering consultancy. In broad terms, ACEM’s feedback centred on the need for clarity around the role, qualifications and liability of the “Competent Person” responsible for certifying such systems; greater regulatory certainty in approval timelines, fees and avenues for appeal; consistency with other Malaysian laws governing planning permission, land and the environment; and alignment with recognised international frameworks for water reuse risk management. ACEM also raised practical implementation issues, including the treatment of small-scale on-site reuse systems and the interaction between this new framework and existing utility approval processes.
Looking Ahead
The Guidelines remain in draft and are expected to be refined through continued stakeholder consultation before finalisation. ACEM will continue to engage with SPAN on behalf of members as the framework develops and will share further updates as they become available. Members with interest or experience in reclaimed water, sewerage or water treatment infrastructure are encouraged to contact the Secretariat with views to help inform ACEM’s ongoing engagement on this issue.
