2024 marked an important milestone for Water Watch Penang as the team ventured into Kelantan to coordinate this rainwater harvesting project. This project was carried out in partnership with Clean Internation, Gravity Water and funded by Microsoft Corporation, alongside engaging with local contractors during the installation process of the rainwater harvesting systems.
The main objectives of this project are:
- To provide a sustainable alternative solution for ensuring an adequate supply of clean water for schools whilst raising awareness about smart water consumption
- To collect, store, and reuse rainwater efficiently; and
- To reduce dependency on groundwater
As of 2024, Water Watch Penang had successfully installed rainwater harvesting systems in 30 schools in three districts of Kelantan (Bachok, Kota Bhary, and Tumpat). The schools are:
| Bachok | Kota Bharu | Tumpat |
| SK ALOR BAKAT | SK KG CHENGAL | SK BUNOHAN |
| SK BAKONG | SMK KG CHENGAL | SK BENDANG PAK YONG |
| SMK TERATAK PULAI | SK KETEREH | SK GETING |
| SK SENENG | SMK ZAINAB 1 | SK PADANG MANDOL |
| SK KANDIS | SK ZAINAB 2 | SMK CHABANG EMPAT |
| SEKOLAH MENENGAH UGAMA (A) DARUL IMAN | MAKTAB SULTAN ISMAIL | MADRASAH AR-RAHMANLAH |
| SK SRI KEMUDI | SK SERIBONG | SK KELABORAN |
| SMK DATO PERDANA | SEKOLAH RENDAH ISLAM AL HIKMAH | |
| SMK PAK BADOL | YAYASAN KEBAJIKAN ANAK YYATIM KELANTAN (YAATIM) | |
| SK KETING | ||
| SK GUNONG | ||
| SMK SRI GUNONG | ||
| SMK GUNONG |
Education programmes were then conducted in each participating school, focusing on water issues in Malaysia and addressing the water crisis in Kelantan, focusing more on the benefits of harvesting rainwater and learning about its system in their school. The education programmes were mainly conducted by our Project Assistant, Ms Siti Norzauan, who is a local Kelantanese – bringing more meaning to the project and likewise, fostering a stronger bond with the students in enabling better education.
To date, a total of 25 education sessions have been conducted, thereby giving a record of 3929 students and 42 teachers being educated on the systems and benefits of rainwater harvesting.
Immediate Outcome:
While this project requires a total of 10 years of monitoring and free maintenance of the systems, Water Watch Penang has completed the installation of rainwater harvesting systems in 30 schools as of November 2024 – harvesting a total of 515,000 litres of rainwater, while providing a total of 280,000 litres of clean water through the UV filtration system that was installed in the schools.
This project is supported by the Ministry of Education Malaysia and the State Education Department of Kelantan.
A CSR project by:
In Partnership with:
