On the 14th to the 18th of October 2024, Water Watch Penang was given the privilege of having a talk and exhibition at the Youth Climate Summit 2024 Southeast Asia, an event organized by Penang Green Council and sponsored by ThinkCity. Our exhibiton, held at the UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College, Georgetown Campus, ran for the event’s duration of 9 am to 5 pm daily, for 5 days. Aside from our exhibition at the ground floor, we also had a talk on water security as part of a parallel track session.
At our booth, we had a “lucky draw” prepared by our education officers Ms. Fatin Azahara and Ms. Nur Atiqah – visitors who came to our booth would be asked to spin for a number, then given a water-related question corresponding to that number. When answered correctly, we would gift visitors with an informational booklet on how to save water at home, as well as a water-saving kit from Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang. Aside from that, we also had our usual setup of chemical water quality test kits, informational slides and other games that can be played to educate the public about water issues locally as well as all over the world. Our intern, Ms. Chan Yi Ying, assisted at the booth as well.
The talk on water security was given by our Executive Manager, Dr. Hong Chern Wern, from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm on the 14th of October. Dr. Hong started off the talk by introducing the importance of water in our daily lives and water issues at a global, national and local level, highlighting water scarcity crises all over the world. The crowd fell silent upon the realization that many in less-developed regions do not have access to proper sanitation and drinkable water. In the hustle and bustle of modern life, we tend to take these privileges for granted.
Afterwards, participants were taught about water footprints and the various ways we consume water without even realizing in our everyday routine. Some of the participants from regions such as Hong Kong and Singapore with limited land area and high population density could relate to some of the points raised in order to reduce water consumption. Participants were also shown how to calculate their water bill and read water meters to monitor their own water use at home. The talk culminated in a fun quiz that featured questions relating to the topics discussed in the talk. The first ten participants who completed the quiz were gifted mugs from Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang.
On the 4th and 5th day, which was the preparation and group presentation on Climate Action Plan, WWP, being one of the many partners, also served as mentors to the student participants in their discussion on Climate Action Plan.
Over the two and a half days, we had 94 visitors at our booth, as well as 57 participants at the talk, including several teachers and working adults. Water Watch Penang would like to thank Penang Green Council for the invitation to 5-day event. In addition, Water Watch Penang was grateful to be able to collaborate alongside more than ten NGOs in this event. We hope that we can collaborate more in the future.
For further inquiries, please contact us at info.waterwatchpenang@gmail.com or +6019-5751253.
