CWET keeps Malaysia ‘hydrated’ with world-class water experts

Water has been the critical basis for the socio-development of this country over the past decades. As Malaysia is rich in water, it has driven urbanisation and industrialisation in many parts of the Southeast Asian country.

Yet, the abundance of water has lately turned into a scarcity. Various corners of the world are navigating to mitigate the effects presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the urgent need for access to safe water has become more important than ever. Malaysia is not excluded.

We were reminded how crucial our water systems are to our health and prosperity. Earlier this year, Malaysia pledged to develop its water sector sustainably. The Prime Minister, YAB Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said this is in line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

As part of the water development strategy, the Water Sector Transformation 2040 (WST 2040), a 20-year agenda outlined in the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), will restructure the sector so that it can contribute significantly to national growth and wealth creation.

Among targets, it aims to ensure that the water sector becomes a vibrant economic sector with a fully competent workforce, contributing to the national gross domestic product (GDP).

Welcoming the effort, Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) through its Bangi-based institute, UniKL Malaysia France Institute (UniKL MFI) became the earliest institution in Malaysia to have its very own Centre for Water Engineering Technology (CWET) to further enhance skill and knowledge for the existing and new workforce in the sector.

The new 35,000-square-feet CWET building is equipped with virtual, decentralised, real-time, and immersive laboratories that aim to nurture creativity and innovation.

Amongst housed within the CWET building is the Water Resources Management Laboratory, equipped with a state-of-the-art and IoT-based real-time water quality monitoring system which is developed in partnership with the French-based, Veolia Group.

CWET offers the Bachelor of Engineering Technology in Automated Water and Wastewater Operation System (BET AWWOS) with Honours and the Bachelor of Engineering Technology in Water Engineering and Energy (BET WEEn) with Honours.

These four-year engineering technology programmes emphasise a comprehensive understanding of general water engineering principles along with deep digital, complex problem-solving, collaboration, communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills at their core.

Also offered is the Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Water and Hydropower Engineering, a double degree programme jointly offered by UniKL and IHE Delft, which is based in the Netherlands.

Putra Mohd Nor Ridzwan Azhar, 28, is among the first batch of students who just finished their master’s degree studies recently. While the water crisis that Malaysia is facing, no longer a modern problem, he admits that there is still a lack of specific expertise to realise sustainable water development.

Putra Mohd Nor Ridzwan Azhar

“Life on earth cannot survive without water. Zooming into Malaysia, we faced interminable water issues like floods, clean water and water disruption. We need experts to revamp or design a new system for us to overcome this.

“This programme is therefore timely to meet the industry’s demand for qualified water professionals,” explained him, who is currently employed as a Senior Mechanical Engineer, which requires him to deal with hydraulic systems.

The master’s degree programme offers students the possibility to study at two renowned institutes for technical education and applied research, which are UniKL MFI and IHE Delft.

Students who have successfully completed this programme will be awarded the M.Sc. in Water and Hydro-power Engineering by UniKL and also the M.Sc. in Water and Sustainable Development by IHE Delft.

The programme spans two years – the minimum length of study and a maximum of 3 years, while for the bachelor’s degree programme, the students will undergo a four-year study.