Khairy: The Ministry of Health will present a law on the quality of drinking water | Malaysia
PUTRAJAYA, 7th April – The Ministry of Health (MOH) is planning to introduce the Drinking Water Quality Act (DWQA) soon, as a measure to further enhance protection against health hazards due to unsafe water,” Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said.
“Drinking water is a basic human right,” he said during the virtual celebration of World Health Day 2022 today, while pointing out that in reality one in three people in the world does not have access to safe and adequate drinking water.
He said the Ministry of Health has implemented one of the oldest environmental health programs in the country, the Rural Environmental Sanitation Program through the Water Supply and Wastewater Unit. Environmental Sanitation (BAKAS) and for more than 50 years the program has played a major role in providing clean and safe water to rural communities and has contributed to the near complete coverage of clean water supply and healthy across the country.
Along with the implementation of the National Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Program (NDWQSP), the Ministry of Health has succeeded in helping to improve the quality of health by ensuring the safety of drinking water supplied to the public and monitoring the quality, thus reducing the incidence of waterborne diseases. or diseases associated with the poor quality of the public water supply.
“The monitoring program alerts public health and waterworks personnel if drinking water quality deteriorates and allows them to take preventive or corrective action before any major outbreak of disease or poisoning occurs. “, did he declare.
On another note, Khairy said the Ministry of Health will table a new law in Parliament to ban smoking as well as vaping and possession of tobacco products, in July this year.
“There will come a time when the next generation will no longer know what a cigarette is,” he said.
“According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS), more than 27,200 deaths in Malaysia each year have been attributed to smoking,” he said. — Bernama
