PUTRAJAYA, April 1 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s water and sewerage services sector has gained international recognition, with the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) and Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) named finalists in the Global Water Awards 2026.
In a statement today, SPAN said the awards, organised by Global Water Intelligence, honour organisations and initiatives that have made significant contributions to advancing the global water, wastewater and desalination sectors.
SPAN has been shortlisted under the Public Water Agency of the Year category, which recognises government bodies and public agencies that have made the greatest impact on water and wastewater service delivery and utility management over the past year.
The commission said the nomination reflects its role as Malaysia’s national regulator for water supply and sewerage services, including efforts to enhance service standards, affordability, resilience and long-term sector sustainability.
"SPAN has played a key regulatory role in recent water and sewerage tariff adjustments in Malaysia, while continuing to support infrastructure renewal, service improvement and non-revenue water (NRW) reduction," it said.
SPAN also said that it has introduced stricter requirements for data centres, including the use of alternative water sources instead of potable water, underscoring its efforts to enhance resilience and future readiness in the sector.
Meanwhile, IWK has been named a finalist in the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) Champion of the Year category for a sanitation initiative integrating renewable energy, financial innovation and operational resilience.
According to the statement, the national sewerage services provider, which serves a connected population equivalent of over 32 million, has implemented solar initiatives across more than 100 sewage treatment plants, using a performance-guaranteed private financing model, without upfront public capital costs, for solar photovoltaic projects.
"The programme reduces reliance on grid electricity, improves cost efficiency, lowers carbon emissions and shows how sanitation infrastructure can play a more active role in the circular economy.
"More importantly, it positions wastewater treatment not just as a public service function, but as a platform for smarter, greener and more sustainable utility operations,” it said.
SPAN said the dual recognition reflects Malaysia’s progress towards the Water Sector Transformation 2040, or AIR2040, and highlights ongoing efforts to strengthen water security, service quality and long-term sector development.
Winners of the awards will be announced at the Global Water Summit 2026 in Madrid, Spain, on May 19.
-- BERNAMA
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