The need for awareness raising, advocacy, and capacity building in Integrated Water Resources Management toward sustainable development: A case study in Malaysia

Abstract

AbstractMalaysia has, since the turn of the 21st century, formally adopted Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) as the way forward to sustainably manage its water resources. This paradigm shift has also been embodied in the National Water Resources Policy formally launched in March 2012. The adoption of IWRM marks a clear shift away from past fragmented and sectoral management practices. The recent endorsement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by Malaysia has further reiterated that IWRM will be implemented at all levels by the year 2030. Despite the formal declaration and adoption of the IWRM policy, its implementation to‐date has yet to gain adequate traction on a national scale. Fragmented management of the water sector both at the Federal and State levels is a legacy from the past which continues as the institutional norm. There is a need for IWRM awareness raising, advocacy, and capacity building. This includes training and education programs, modular and material development, communication, and delivery system, facilities establishment, and appropriate governance mechanisms to improve the current water management system and practices in Malaysia, as well as ensure local participation and governance. This approach will also polish the shortcoming through the mobilization of all institutional and community stakeholders toward the implementation of the IWRM agenda nation‐wide.