Houses, buildings to be fitted with new flushing system
07/10/2003  The Sun

KUALA LUMPUR: All new houses and buildings must be installed with toilet-flushing systems with a water capacity of not more than six litres in a measure to reduce water wastage.

The new regulation was approved by the cabinet last year and has been gazetted and enforced by local authorities since June this year.

Buildings which fail to meet the requirement will not be issued certificates of fitness, Housing and Local Government Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said yesterday.

He said there is no reason not to install the new system as a one-year trial period has been given.

A study found that Malaysians use the toilet an average of seven times a day and with the conventional toilet, between nine and litres of water goes down the drain every time it is flushed.

Considering the amount of treated drinking water wasted for flushing toilets, the government decided last year to have all new building installed with the six-litre capacity toilet system.

Existing buildings need only change to the new system if they renovate of change their toilets.

Ong was speaking after launching the World Habitat Day celebrations.

On the draft of the Common Property Act aimed at regulating maintenance and management of high-rise residential building such as flats and apartment, he said it is being finalized by the attorney-general and is expected to be tabled in Parliament next year.

World Habitat Day is celebrated on the first Monday of October. The theme for this year is "Water and Sanitation for Cities". In his speech earlier, Ong outlined the many measures, taken by the government in creating good living environment for the people especially urbanites.

Mainly due to rural urban migration, the urbanisation rate has grown rapidly from 55.1% in 1995 to 81.8% in 2000 and could reach 66.9% in 2005.

This has increased the burden of cities in providing adequate housing and clean sanitation for its urban population."