Development of Drinking Water Quality Surveillance in Malaysia

This paper seeks to outline the development of a national programme for surveillance of drinking water quality in Malaysia. The need for such a programme defining organisational responsibilities, functions, procedures, activities and follow-up remedial actions was identified in a country-wide survey on drinking-water quality surveillance problems in 1983. The programme was planned based on W H O's “Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality” (Draft 1983), taking into consideration the survey findings, and implemented with reasonable success within the constraints of existing levels of manpower, facility and budgetary resources.