Event: Malaysian Water Association (MWA) – British Water Liaison Meeting

Date: January 2025

Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Role: UK Industry Representative / Innovation and Environmental Monitoring Lead

Type of CPD: International collaboration / sector leadership / innovation and environmental performance

Duration: Half‑day formal meeting + bilateral discussions + site/partner engagements

Summary of the Event

I participated in the Malaysian Water Association – British Water Liaison Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, a strategic bilateral engagement designed to strengthen collaboration between the UK and Malaysian water sectors. The meeting brought together senior representatives from utilities, regulators, technology providers, research institutions and government agencies from both countries.

Discussions focused on shared challenges around water security, climate resilience, non‑revenue water, wastewater treatment performance, digital transformation, and innovation adoption. Malaysia’s rapid urbanisation, climate pressures and investment in digital infrastructure provided a strong backdrop for exploring opportunities for partnership and knowledge exchange.

Throughout the meeting, I contributed insights on real‑time biological monitoring, microbial activity sensing, and the integration of biological data into digital optimisation platforms—areas of growing interest for Malaysian utilities seeking to improve treatment stability, environmental performance and operational resilience.

Key Themes Covered

• Water security and climate resilience Drought, flooding, infrastructure vulnerability and long‑term planning.
• Non‑revenue water and network optimisation Leakage reduction, pressure management and digital monitoring.
• Wastewater treatment performance Biological process stability, nutrient removal, compliance and environmental outcomes.
• Digital transformation and real‑time monitoring Data integration, automation, digital twins and predictive analytics.
• Innovation adoption and capability building Pilots, procurement, training and cross‑border collaboration.
• Regulatory frameworks and environmental expectations Transparency, compliance, public trust and nature‑positive outcomes.