Since its establishment in 1994, IWK has operated and maintained more than 7,000 public sewage treatment plants (STPs) and 20,000km of sewer lines.
This includes one of the region’s largest underground wastewater treatment plants – the Pantai 2 regional sewage treatment plant (P2RSTP).
The state-of-the-art plant serves a population of 1.4 million within the Pantai catchment area covering more than 6,700ha.
“At least 50% of our equipment is more than 10 years of age, and it will need to be refurbished or replaced over time,” IWK chief executive Narendran Maniam told FMT, adding that a lot of resources have gone into ensuring all the company’s assets function like clockwork.
However, despite providing services to millions of households in the country, many customers do not realise the importance of IWK in their daily lives, he said.
“Customers tend to say that they do not see the services provided by IWK.
“The fact that you are able to flush your toilet and your waste is taken out through a system to our STP and treated before being discharged into the environment shows that the services are being rendered.”
He said that without proper management of this treatment system, the environment could be polluted as the wastewater that enters the septic tanks could flow into water sources or to the surface.
Narendran said IWK’s costs have been rising on an annual basis and this was why it was looking to diversify its revenues.
Currently, IWK’s main revenue stream comes from sewerage service fees collected from customers while it also receives funding from the government.
To be more financially-sustainable, IWK is looking to venture into non-core business initiatives to support business growth and the circular economy.
It has also hatched a five-year business plan to expand its business to include non-core activities such as installation of telecommunication towers and billboard advertising at IWK plant sites, developments in the solar space, and a potential expansion of fibre optics via its sewer pipes.
Narendran said IWK is also embarking on a water reclamation initiative that will see wastewater being treated before being used for non-potable purposes. This will effectively expand sources of non-potable water and reduce the use of clean water.
He said IWK has been working with local authorities on small-scale projects to reuse treated effluent to water landscape crops since 2015.
“With the cooperation of the environment and water ministry, the National Water Services Commission and water operators, IWK is now pioneering the supply of reclaimed water through renewable processes, suitable for use in manufacturing processes for non-food-based industries,” he said.
In addition, the company has initiated a collaboration to reuse treated bio-solids as feed to black soldier fly larvae to produce fat and protein pellets for export.
These efforts are aligned with the country’s circular economy goal and promotion of green initiatives to drive sustainable growth, he said.