CURRENT SITUATION AND
ISSUE OF SEPTAGE
MANAGEMENT IN MALAYSIA
6th International Workshop on Decentralized Domestic
Wastewater Treatment in Asia
2018
TOKYO, JAPANMohd Roslee Mahyudin
NATIONAL WATER SERVICES COMMISSION (SPAN)
MALAYSIA

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Table of Contents
Overview – Malaysia, SPAN, Statistic, Definition and On-Site Domestic Wastewater
Treatment System

01

Provision of Law for On-Site Domestic Wastewater Treatment System & Septage
Management

02

05

03

Standardization & Certification of On-site Domestic Wastewater Treatment System

04

Issue & Challenges

Current & Future Initiative for Septage Management in Malaysia2Overview - Malaysia
Sewerage Statistic

Country Statistic

TYPES OF SERVICES AND APPLICATION
Type of Services

Units (PE)OFF-SITE TREATMENT
Total Population : 32 million
Malaysian : 28.7 million

Multipoint
Centralized (Regional)

10,373 (20,487,766)
101 (8,132,260)

Non Malaysian : 3.3 million
Urban : 75.5%

Rural : 24.5%

Population Density : 97 persons/ km

ON-SITE TREATMENT
Individual Septic Tank

1,354,986 (6,547,041)

Communal Septic Tank (CST)

4,359 (531,127)

Small Sewage Treatment System*

24,001 (240,000)

Cess Pit (Pour Flush)* Source : Malaysia Water Industry Guide 2017
Note : 1. Estimate installation of SSTS since year 2008
1 PE = 0.225m3

1,171,555 (5,857,775)

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Overview –Wastewater Treatment System in Malaysia
Sewerage Statistic - Definition

Definition

Centralized Wastewater
Treatment(Ex: Sewer system)

Middle scale or cluster
type wastewater
treatment(Ex: Sanimas)

Decentralized wastewater
treatment(Ex: Septic tank, johkasou, pitlatrine)

Without any
wastewater
treatment

Sewage Treatment Plants
identified in the Sewerage
Catchment Study to caterfor a sewerage catchmentarea

Also known as multipoint
Sewage Treatment Plants
which cater for scattereddevelopment by different
developers

Also known as on –site treatment
systems designed to treat anddispose of effluent from single
premise and/or single ownershipdevelopment

Open defecation or
direct discharge

101

10,3732,530,900

8,132,260

20,487,766

12,935,943

Installed plant number

Number of Population
using each wastewater
treatment systems*-* Calculation using Population Equivalent (Design Capacity of the system)
Reference: Malaysia Water Industry Guide 2018 (exclude Sabah & Sarawak)

4Overview - SPAN
Establishment of SPAN & Its Function• 2007 - Establish on 1st April 2007 under Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Air Negara Act 2006 (Act 654)
• 2008 - Water Services Industry Act 2006 (Act 655) enforced – to govern the water services industry fromtreatment of raw water to discharge of waste water.
Vision‘Towards a sustainable, reliable and affordable water service for all’
Mission‘To regulate the water services industry through fair, effective and transparent implementation of the Water
Services Industry Act’Regulatory Classification
Technical Regulation

Economic Regulation

Social Regulation

Consumer Protection

Who Are We Regulated?
Public & Private Sewerage Operators

ConsultantsContractors & Plumbers

System & Product Suppliers5Decentralized (On Site)
Wastewater Treatment System in Malaysia

On –site treatment
systems designed to treat
and dispose of effluent
from single premise
and/or single ownershipdevelopment with total
capacity less than 150
PE (33.75m3)
On-siteSmall Sewage Treatment System(SSTS)

Cess pit (Obsolete)
Communal Septic Tank (Obsolete)

SSTS• Design capacity for 31 – 149 PE (6.975– 33.525 m3/day)• Prefabricated system and materials thatbasically used were FRP & PE
• Must be provided with oil & grease
removal to a discharged requirement(design=5mg/l; absolute7.5mg/l)• Effluent
qualityforSSTS(BOD5=35mg/l;SS=75mg/l;
COD=160mg/l; O&G=7.5mg/l)• Product is approved and registered withSPAN & being able to comply tominimum effluent discharged standard• Desludging at a frequency of not lessthan once a year

IST
• Product is approved and registered withSPAN & being able to comply to minimum
effluent discharged standard (BOD=50mg/l;
SS = 100mg/l)• Desludging at a frequency of not less thanonce every 2 years (desludging can be at 3
Individual Septic Tank (IST)years once)
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Provision of Law on Decentralized System &Septage Management
Water Services Industry Act 2006

Service Licensee/ Authorised Person
Two major contractor are licensed by SPAN to provide
desludging services

Section 44 (1)Obligation of service licensee to desludge septictanks as prescribed

Section 65

Indah Water
Konsortium Sdn Bhd

Provision to liberalize desludging works to SPAN
permit E holders

Majaari Services SdnBhd

Private Desludging Contractor (SPAN Permit E
Holder)Desludging activities can only be carried out byPermit E contractor registered by SPAN

Section 65 (1)Service licensee or permit holder must be given
access for the purpose of servicing anddesludging

Section 179
Empowers Minister to make Rules for Desludging••

Desludging Charges
Required for Services Rendered
Executed upon premise owner’s request
No official agreement between operator and thepremise owner7

Provision of Law on Decentralized System &Septage Management
Current Desludging Charges
SPAN Service Licensee (Public Operator)

SPAN Permit E Holder (Private Operator)(IWK)

Ceiling Price

Ceiling Price

Majaari= RM 300/ service (up to 2m3)
RM 115 for each additional m3= RM 230/ service (up to 2m3)
RM 115 for each additional m3

Roles & Responsibility of Upstream & Downstream Stakeholders
Water Services Industry Act 2006
Responsibility of Upstream Stakeholders
Desludging Operator•

Responsibility of Downstream Stakeholders•IWK & Majaari - must acknowledge all desludging requests andensure proper record keeping

service licensee or permit holder•Permit holder (private desludging contractor)•

Able to choose service to render

Sludge Treatment Facility Operator•Provide proper access to septic tank for desludging activities byMaintain their septic tank and all accessories to avoid nuisance orharmful to health•Ensure the septic tank to be serviced or maintained by service
licensee or permit holder

Validates quantity of sludge
8Standards & Certification for Decentralized
Wastewater Treatment Facilities
Standardization & Certification of On-site Domestic Wastewater Treatment System
Water Services Industry Act 2006
Section 45Plans and specifications for the construction of sewerage systems and septic tanks require the approval of the Commission

Section 180(a)(i)The Commission may make such rules to provide for the minimum standards and specifications which shall be used in the design,construction, installation, protection, operation and maintenance of any water supply system or sewerage system

MALAYSIAN SEWERAGE
INDUSTRY GUIDELINES
VOL. 5 – SEPTIC TANKS
3rd Edition January 2009
Published by SPAN

MALAYSIAN STANDARD ON SITE TREATMENTUNITS PART 1 : PREFABRICATED SEPTICTANKS SPECIFICATIONS
Publish on June 2012

MALAYSIAN STANDARD ON SITE TREATMENTUNITS PART 2 : PACKAGED PREFABRICATED
SMALL SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEM
SPECIFICATIONS
Publish on June 2014

 General Guidelines Design Guide Septic Tank Located In Sensitive
Receiving Watercourse Certification
 Performance Certification
 Performance9Issue & Challenges
Desludging Trend
INDIVIDUAL SEPTIC TANK (IST) DESLUDGING TREND (2005 – 2017)
BACKGROUND
In January 2008,
Water Services
Industry Act 2006
become enforceable

Analysis shows
desludging cost is

Before 2008,
desludging
contractors weremore proactive inproviding door todoor notices
offering desludging
services

RM 228/m3• Refusal FromOwners• Septic Tank CoverSealed• Inaccessible, etc

Responsibility ofdesludging
individual septictank falls under theownerPrior to WSIA
mandatoryscheduleddesludging was inplace

Social Issues

Impact• Higher risk of being
confronted withwater borne
diseases

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Total Desluding Done 148,2 135,9 146,5 37,01 47,05 58,40 68,54 70,17 79,63 57,65 53,25 54,41 60,37• Quality of water
resource will beaffected, etc
10Issue & Challenges
International Report Findings
Landscape Analysis And Business Model Assessment In Faecal: Extraction
And Transportation Model• New business model based on liberalization has an adverse effect on the desludging
operatorsFindings• If the revenue declines even slightly by 5%, after tax IRR is plunges to 0%• Expected to trigger losses to medium scaled operator within 2 years and large
operator such as IWK within 5 years• 96% of the respondents in the survey conducted for the study are not willing to pay
more than RM 250 for the services

11Current & Future Initiative
for Septage Management in Malaysia
Development of Desludging Rules (Scheduled Desludging)• To moved from responsive to scheduled desludging by Sewerage Service Licensee/ Operator in its sewerage services area
• Private contractors (permit holder) will be responsible to desludge outside operators services area and also act as a sub contractor underoperator to desludge in their services area
• Currently on final drafting stage and targeted to be enforced in 2019

Revision of Desludging Fee & Charges• The objective is to revise current fee & charges due to increase of operational cost
• Its also aim to reduce the differences in tariff between connected services and desludging services• Currently on final consultation stage with Service Licensee/ Operator and targeted to be enforce in 2019 together with Desludging Rules

Key Performance Indicator Setting (Service Licensee KPI)
• Objective is to monitor and drive efficient performance delivery of sewerage services operators• Four Main Indicators has been identified for Servise Licensee KPI – Operation & Maintenance, Customer Service, Financial & Environment• Sub Indicators - Operation & Maintenance (Desludging & Sludge Disposal), Customer Service (Desludging Enquiry & Complaints), Financial(Operational Cost Efficiency for Desludging Services) & Environment (Recycling of Bio solids)

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Current & Future Initiativefor Septage Management in Malaysia
Development of Guidelines for Reuse of Bio Solids• Objective of this guidelines is to specify the quality that must be complied by the byproduct that are produced using bio solids• It will also used as a guide by the producer of products from sewage• This guidelines has been finalized and will undergo public consultation before getting necessary approval for implementation

Operation & Maintenance Regulatory Audit• Part of Commission’s key functions to ensure the productivity of sewerage services industry and monitoring of operator’s compliance• One of the performance scope in O&M Audit – Sludge Handling (Sludge Equipment Maintenance and Sludge Received, Treatment & Disposal
Record13

THANK YOU

Mohd Roslee Mahyudin
NATIONAL WATER SERVICES COMMISSION (SPAN)
MALAYSIA
roslee@span.gov.my14