The water stories: Sime Darby's groundwater project

Malaysia has traditionally sought its supply of water from sources referred to as surface waters - these include rivers and dams.

Currently, surface water accounted for more than 98 per cent of the national public water supply and the high level of dependence on surface water needs to be diluted due to the impending climate change.

Malaysia must also look for other sources of water as the demand for the natural commodity in the country is expected to increase significantly by 2010 to approximately 17,000 million litres per day (mld).

In order to cater to this growing need, Sime Darby Bhd is embarking on a RM1.2 million groundwater project at Batang Padang, Perak.

The project site covers an area of approximately 2,700 kilometres and is expected to supply 500 mld of groundwater for public consumption by Dec 31, 2012.

Batang Padang was chosen as the location due to its high annual rainfall of between 2,500 mm and 3,300 mm and large undeveloped land, including forest reserves and water catchment areas, said Dr Azuhan Mohamed, Sime Darby's head of water management, energy and utilities at a recent media familiarisation visit on groundwater technology in South Korea.

Dr Azuhan said the project would be undertaken in two stages. The first would involve a development of a 50 mld pilot well which is expected to be ready by Dec 31, 2009.

The development of the second stage will cover the remaining 450 mld from nine wells.
The first supply of drinkable water is expected to reach the public in January 2013 as well as to the industrial areas in Selangor.

Relevent to Sime Darby's groundwater project, the first site visited by members of the media was a project site by Da Joo Construction Co Ltd, which utilises the radial collector wells system.

Da Joo's director of the overseas projects department Dr Jae Ha said that this green technology contributes 20 per cent of the treated water supply to the citizens of Seoul (including horizontal wells).

The city has a population of 12 million.

He said that unlike surface water harvesting, one need not worry about depletion of water supply and it had a minimal impact on river flow and other surface water bodies as the ground water abstraction took place at unconfined aquifers away from rivers and other surface water bodies, and the recharge rate for the alluvial aquifer was rapid in conditions where the ground water head was higher than the river head.

Dr Ha also said that the possibility of industrial waste seeping into the ground water was very minimal as the radial collector wells were dug deep into the bed rock.
He added that this system was also used to rehabilitate rivers and streams.

Each well takes six months to construct and once the system is up and running, little maintenance is needed.

The wells, which can measure between four and eight metres in diameter, depending on the number of pumps, can harvest between 20,000 to 40,000 cubic metres of water per day.

During drier seasons, water is pumped at a level considered optimum based on studies and analysis to prevent over-abstraction of water.

Due to the natural filtration that occurs when rainwater travels down the ground levels, it also will cost less for the purification process, said Dr Ha.

Groundwater harvesting is not the only method used in South Korea to boost up its current water supply system. Other methods and systems are used in harvesting water and improving the quality of the water harvested.

NOTE TO READER: The writing of this story was made possible thanks to Sime Darby's media familiarisation tour to some locations in South Korea which utilise different methods of water harvesting. It was a brilliant trip, I learned so much and because sharing is caring (and we can always make use of new knowledge), I have decided to share what I have learnt with you.

XOXO, Masami.