The Training for Trainers (ToT) on Sanitation and Water was held on 23rd to 25th November 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The course was jointly organized by Malaysian Capacity Development for Sustainable Water Management (MyCDNet) and Indah Water Konsortium Sdn. Bhd. (IWK), Malaysia’s national sewerage company. This is the first ToT on Sanitation and Water course in Malaysia.
The ToT was conducted as part of capacity building program and an initiative to promote better understanding of the importance of proper sanitation for sustainable development and to protect water resource and the environment. The course enabled the participants to have a good understanding on having proper sewerage system, proper sewage treatment process, maintenance, effluent monitoring and refurbishment needed to both sewerage system and treatment facilities in order to ensure continuous effectiveness of sewage treatment and sewerage systems. With clear and proper understanding on the full cycle of sewerage management, the young engineers, students, consultants, and various interested parties can each play more impacted roles and educate their colleagues or close family members in simple yet important matters like desludging the homes’ septic tanks and encourage their colleagues to do the same and pay sewerage bills to sustain the important services rendered by the sewerage contractor to the public. It is also hoped that, having equipped with the proper knowledge, the participants will return to their organizations and agencies to promote the concept of proper sewerage and sanitation management, implement the knowledge gained wherever applicable for sustainable development.
The three day course included the proper training on planning of sewerage systems, operation, refurbishment, green technology and R&D in sewerage and site visit to Bunus Regional Sewage Treatment Facility. On the first day, the course was officially opened by MyCDNet representative, who read out MYCDNet’s Chairman, Dato’ Lim Chow Hock’s opening remarks as he was overseas at that time. It was followed by the invited speaker from Lembaga Urus Air Selangor (LUAS), Ms. Norfazilah Shaharudin who is the legal officer of LUAS. She provided the overall legislative enforced under the law to regulate water resource activities within the State of Selangor. After that, the invited speaker from Department Environment, Mr. Saiful Salihin is Assistant Director General of EiMAS (a training arms of Department of Environment) delivered a talk explaining the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and Environmental Quality (Sewage) Regulation 2009 enforced under the law on sewerage activities. In the afternoon, the participants were transported in a bus to visit the Regional Sewage Treatment Plant located in Bunus which is about 15 km from the training venue.
The second day started with planning for appropriate sanitation and water system, presented by Ir. Zakariah Mohd Yassin, the Central Planning Unit’s Senior Manager of IWK, followed by presentation on type of sewage treatment system presented by Ms. Ruhaidah Md Hassan, the Manager of Environmental Management Unit of IWK. The afternoon session’s presentation is on Desludging and Sewer Maintenance by Mr. A. Ghani Mohammad, the Head of Section of Network and Desludging of IWK KL Operation Unit Office. It was followed by a topic on Sewage Treatment Plants, Sludge Reception Facilities and Centralised Sludge Treatment Facilities Maintenance presented by Mr. Ja’farsidik Muhammad, the Treatment Manager from IWK Head Office.
The last day started with presentation by the Treatment Manager of KL Operation Unit Office, Mr, Tan Kok Yean on Monitoring of Effluent Discharge and River Water (Internal) and followed by Mr. Saiful Salihin of EiMAS –DOE on Monitoring of Effluent Discharge and River Water (External). Afterward that, Ms. Lim Pek Boon, the Manager of R&D Unit presented on Green Technology Application in sewerage sector. The last speaker was Ir. Mohd Zuki Muda, the Head of Capital Work and Refurbishment who presented Restoration and Rehabilitation on Failures/ Scenarios. Throughout the three days, the participants were free to ask questions related to various topics presented. The closing remark was given by Dr Low Kwai Sim, the advisor of MyCDNET Malaysia. Dr. Low gave a summary on the ToT successfully completed, highlights on MyCDNet – its roles, functions and activities and she encouraged the participants to become members so that they can have a good platform to play active and more effective role in promoting sustainable IWRM. She explained on the importance to provide a feedback after six months of the ToT on usage of the knowledge gained. On that, MyCDNet will do a follow up with all participants. All participants have given commitment to provide the feedback.
Based on the training evaluation survey carried out at the end of the course among 27 participants, majority of them agreed that the course was very good as it gave full understanding on what sewerage management is all about, the importance and impacts on the river and water resources if sewage is not managed properly. Most of the participants agreed that the stated aims and objectives met their expectations. They agreed that all the trainers were qualified and knowledgeable on the subject delivered as the trainers have many years of experience in their field.
