PETALING JAYA: The water supply in Malaysia is not only clean and safe to consume directly, it is also free from E. coli bacteria, says the National Water Service Commission (SPAN).

Its chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Ridhuan Ismail (pic) made this statement after Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar said in Parliament on Wednesday (Oct 17) that it was safe to drink water straight from the tap.

In Malaysia, water that's treated and supplied to the public adhered to the minimum quality standard set by the Health Ministry based on the World Health Organisation's (WHO) water quality guideline, said Mohd Ridhuan.

"To ensure that the water quality is always safe and guaranteed, continuous surveillance is done by all relevant parties, including water operators, the Health Ministry and SPAN," he said in a press statement on Saturday (Oct 20).

According to him, water operators were responsible for ensuring that the treatment process was effective and would carry out analysis of the physical, chemical and microbiological parameters of the water on a continuous basis.

In addition, the Heath Ministry, which started the Drinking Water Quality Surveillance Programme in 1983, also continuously sampled water from plants and distribution systems, he added.

"No less than 38 types of physical, chemical and microbiological parameters are analysed starting from the water treatment plant intake to the distribution system with cooperation from the Malaysian Chemistry Department.

"There are 6,108 sampling stations at all 500 water treatment plants and water supply systems nationwide with more than 186,000 samples," he said.

SPAN would also conduct periodic audits at all water treatment plants to ensure that the treatments were effective, added Mohd Ridhuan.

Mohd Ridhuan dismissed claims that tap water in Malaysia contained E. coli bacteria.

"E. coli is among the microbiology parameters analysed continuously by water operators and the Health Ministry. As a result, water from the public water supply system is free from E.coli," he said.

Mohd Ridhuan also assured that at the last stage of water treatment before water was distributed, operators would ensure that there was free chlorine residual of at least 0.2l/mg (milligram per litre) in the treated water to kill off E.coli bacteria that could possibly exist should there be pollution in the supply system.

"The chlorine is like a shield to ensure that the water supply is always safe for the public," he said.