774
S.-Y. Chan et al.
process water for such facilities as paper mills and carpet dyers, toilet flushing, dust
control, construction activities, concrete mixing, and artificial lakes. Some have even
suggested for the water to be recycled and further processed for potable use.
5 Conclusion
The fact that the amount of drained water from the water distillation process is
tremendous exerts pressure to recycle it. The amount may seems trivial in monetary
terms in the context of a blessed country like Malaysia, however this amount could
impact significantly in country where water crisis is causing daily death. Besides, with
the 587 thousand gallons of water, it could affect the life of flora and fauna in the area.
The positive responses among USM residents are optimistic for appropriate action to
be taken toward sustainable water management. It is suggested to use the resources
for non-potable purposes such as general cleaning. This will not only conserve water
resources but will also benefit the environment via providing a dependable, locallycontrolled water supply. The quality of the collected water from the outlet can also be
tailored to a specific water use that subsequently reduces the energy needed to treat
water. For instance, water quality required for a secondary pipe to be used for flushing
a toilet in Malaysia is less stringent than the water quality needed for drinking water.
In addition, recycling the drained water can also decrease wastewater discharge
and create or enhance wetlands. Future plan following the current observation is
developing an affordable water distillation plan on site with minimal water discharge
in solving the water wasting concern.
Acknowledgements The author would like to acknowledge all the respondents of this study.
Conflict of Interest Authors declared no conflict of interest.
References
Abidin NFZ (2016) World wide fund for nature-Malaysia annual review 2016. In: World wide fund
for nature-Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
de Miranda Coelho JAP, Gouveia VV, de Souza GHS, Milfont TL, Barros BNR (2016) Emotions
toward water consumption: conservation and wastage. Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología
48(2):117–126
Durrant C (2017) Inside Harvard’s green labs sustainability: green lab 2017. Available from https://
green.harvard.edu/programs/green-labs/green-lab-certification
Every Little drop story (2010) The cost of water. Every little drop makes a difference 2010 [cited
2018 Jan]
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2016) Coping with water scarcity in
agriculture. A global framework for action in a changing climate. In: FOA water report
Free Malaysia Today (2017) Penang has highest domestic water use rate in nation. In: Freemalaysiatoday, April 24, 2017, MToday News Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia
S.-Y. Chan et al.
process water for such facilities as paper mills and carpet dyers, toilet flushing, dust
control, construction activities, concrete mixing, and artificial lakes. Some have even
suggested for the water to be recycled and further processed for potable use.
5 Conclusion
The fact that the amount of drained water from the water distillation process is
tremendous exerts pressure to recycle it. The amount may seems trivial in monetary
terms in the context of a blessed country like Malaysia, however this amount could
impact significantly in country where water crisis is causing daily death. Besides, with
the 587 thousand gallons of water, it could affect the life of flora and fauna in the area.
The positive responses among USM residents are optimistic for appropriate action to
be taken toward sustainable water management. It is suggested to use the resources
for non-potable purposes such as general cleaning. This will not only conserve water
resources but will also benefit the environment via providing a dependable, locallycontrolled water supply. The quality of the collected water from the outlet can also be
tailored to a specific water use that subsequently reduces the energy needed to treat
water. For instance, water quality required for a secondary pipe to be used for flushing
a toilet in Malaysia is less stringent than the water quality needed for drinking water.
In addition, recycling the drained water can also decrease wastewater discharge
and create or enhance wetlands. Future plan following the current observation is
developing an affordable water distillation plan on site with minimal water discharge
in solving the water wasting concern.
Acknowledgements The author would like to acknowledge all the respondents of this study.
Conflict of Interest Authors declared no conflict of interest.
References
Abidin NFZ (2016) World wide fund for nature-Malaysia annual review 2016. In: World wide fund
for nature-Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
de Miranda Coelho JAP, Gouveia VV, de Souza GHS, Milfont TL, Barros BNR (2016) Emotions
toward water consumption: conservation and wastage. Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología
48(2):117–126
Durrant C (2017) Inside Harvard’s green labs sustainability: green lab 2017. Available from https://
green.harvard.edu/programs/green-labs/green-lab-certification
Every Little drop story (2010) The cost of water. Every little drop makes a difference 2010 [cited
2018 Jan]
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2016) Coping with water scarcity in
agriculture. A global framework for action in a changing climate. In: FOA water report
Free Malaysia Today (2017) Penang has highest domestic water use rate in nation. In: Freemalaysiatoday, April 24, 2017, MToday News Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia