Malaysia International Water Convention 2019 – Official Opening on 1st October 2019

Held concurrently at the convention was the 7th edition of Water Loss Asia (WLA) 2019, a specialized Non-Revenue Water conference and exhibition.

The Malaysian Water Association (MWA) has been actively organizing conferences, exhibitions and training programmes. The biennial event known as Water Malaysia now has a brand new format and a new name, the Malaysia International Water Convention. The Convention will bring together water professionals from around the country and the region, where a host of events will come together under this convention, making it the largest gathering of the water industry.

MIWC 2019 is proudly supported by Ministry of Land, Water and Natural Resources (KATS), Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC), Ministry of Economic Affairs (MEA), Pengurusan Aset Air Berhad (PAAB), National Water Services Commission (SPAN) and HRDF.

Minister of Water, Land and Natural Resources (KATS), Dr Xavier Jayakumar officiated our opening ceremony with a keynote address.

MIWC 2019 welcomes more than 70 speakers from 15 countries, 500 conference delegates and around 100 exhibiting organizations from around the world. The event expects an estimation of 5,000 water industry professionals during this 3-day event.

The 2-Day Conference
Themed “Advancing Innovation, Embracing Transformation and Securing the future” with core focus on water 4.0, digital adoption, IOT, intelligent water management system; the 2-Day Conference will enable water utilities to share international experiences, discover cutting edge technologies and how digital disruptions affect the value chain, and the best practices for transforming water utilities. Our speakers line-up includes path-breaking scientist and technologists, C-level executives from the biggest names in the industry, thinkers and visionaries. More than 500 participants have registered for this conference

Keynote Speakers include :

• YB Dr. Xavier Jayakumar,
  Minister of Water, Land and Natural Resources Malaysia.
• YBhg Dato’ Alice Jawan,
  Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Utilities Sarawak, Malaysia
• Mr. Paul D Reiter
  Reiter IWS, Hong Kong
• YBhg Charles Santiago
  Chairman, National Water Services Commission (SPAN), Malaysia
• Professor Rafid Al Khaddar
  Past President, Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM)
• Ms. Nadia Schou Vorndran Lund
  Board Member, Danish YWP, Denmark
• YBhg Datuk Hj Shahar Effendi Bin Abdullah Azizi
  Director General, Department of Mineral and Geoscience Malaysia

2nd Malaysia-Netherlands Water Dialogue
2nd October 2019
The 2nd Malaysia-Netherlands Water Dialogue (by invitation only) held on the 2nd October at 2pm, will be attended by water leaders and policy makers from government water authorities and water operators.

This Dialogue has two objectives. First, it brings expert form both countries to exchange, share and learn best practices in water management. And second, it opens up business opportunities for Dutch companies forging strategic partnership with local counterparts in the area of water solutions, technologies, processes and river basin management in Malaysia as well as in the other parts of the region.

Non Revenue Water Workshop
3rd October 2019
A lot of emphasis has been placed on managing losses in distribution systems, through the establishment of DMAs, targeted leak detection, pressure management, systematic pipe replacement and now permanent monitoring. However, very little has been done on the transmission/trunk main networks, either because it has been too difficult to manage, or the water utility believed incorrectly that this was not a problem.

Many water utilities are now starting to realise that the neglect of the upstream pipework has resulted in deterioration in their condition, which now means higher losses than was considered. Replacement of these large and generally metal pipes would incur huge costs, so management of their leakage levels, system pressures and future condition are imperative.

The technology to manage these networks has improved considerably over the past 10 years and this workshop will detail these technologies. The presentations from technology innovators will include details of their cutting-edge technologies and also how it is applied in case study applications.

This Workshop focuses on:

• Challenges of managing water losses from larger diameter mains
• Challenges of managing water losses upstream of the distribution networks
• Technology to manage transmission/trunk main networks
• Cutting edge technologies applied in case study applications

Digital Transformation Workshop
3rd October 2019
Water management is one of the key components for digitalisation and improvement, as Malaysia looks to accelerate efforts in reducing non-revenue water (NRW), revitalise water infrastructure and services in urban areas, and new water infrastructure in rural areas.

Digital transformation is not only about driving innovation across the assets and operational lifecycles. It is also about adapting how the people work to drive operational efficiency to enhance service levels, improve asset reliability, minimise unplanned downtime, and increase safety. Join this workshop to learn how to take advantage of the speed, agility, and efficiency of modern technologies such as cloud, Industrial IoT, artificial intelligence, and augmented & virtual reality to rejuvenate the water facilities.

Participants will learn how to take advantage of the speed, agility, and efficiency of modern technologies such as cloud, Industrial IoT, artificial intelligence, and augmented & virtual reality to rejuvenate the water facilities, towards achieving operational excellence and digitally transform the water & wastewater operations.

Technical Tours
3rd October 2019
Malaysia has made headways into water supply, wastewater treatment and river development infrastructure for the past ten years with the construction of Langkat 2, Pantai 2 and River of Life. Participants will be participating in these technical tours and gain in-depth practical insights to these sites.

MWA/MIWC 2019 Gala Dinner
1st October 2019
More than 1000 members of the Malaysian Water Association (MWA), water professionals, special guests and MIWC2019 participants will gather at this annual gala dinner. Held on the evening of the MIWC2019, this dinner will be graced by Minister of Water, Land and Natural Resources (KATS), Dr Xavier Jayakumar, and senior government officials from all the states in Malaysia. The Malaysian Water Association Industry Awards, the Young Water Professionals Award, the Women Leadership Award will be presented to winners during the Gala Dinner held on 01st October.

Networking Meetings
1st October & 3rd October
MWA will be hosting many networking meetings during MIWC 2019. Amongst them are the International Water Associations Meeting, and the National Water NGOs Meetings, and MWA Institutional Members Meeting & Business Networking. This meetings enable NGOs, government, private organisations and institutions to come together, cooperate and work towards achieving integrated water management and sustainable access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. These meetings facilitates NGOs, provides access to knowledge and expertise, gain access to government initiatives, while the private sector and government will gain specific field knowledge and networks of NGOs.

Innovation Talks
Visitors can attend the free Innovation talks held on the last day of MIWC2019, where technology leaders will be sharing solutions and technologies on water treatment, digital solutions for water networks, replacing meters for NRW, Industry 4.0, etc.

MIWC 2019 promises a comprehensive programme, and stimulating topics delivered by water experts for the water industry. Together, policy makers, water and utility management companies, professionals from the water and wastewater industry, leading technology innovators, international agencies, NGOs and scientists will be exploring technologies that evoke wonder and tantalize with superhuman powers, mind-bending science and most of all, the inspiring possibilities that will secure our water future.