Use of drones for managing Covid-19 pandemic

 by Sheriffah Noor Khamseah Al-Idid bt Dato Syed Ahmad Idid,  

The Covid-19 pandemic continues to create health, social, industrial, and economic crises, posing a variety of challenges to public and private services.

Several countries have introduced innovations to manage the pandemic, including the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, to deliver essentials such as medical and food supplies and for security, surveillance, and inspection. For example, drones are used to monitor crowds to ensure compliance with wearing masks and social distancing, as well as for broadcasting, surveying, and mapping. They are also being deployed to spray or dispense sanitization.

Delivering Covid-19 vaccines

The Brookings research institute, in its paper titled Assessing the Impact of Drones in the Global Covid Response, reported that Zipline, one of the world’s largest and best-known drone delivery companies, had run trials of its drone delivery systems for lightweight medical supplies in Rwanda and Ghana before the pandemic, working closely with policymakers more willing to accommodate delivery drones in their airspace than authorities in the US, the EU and other, larger jurisdictions.

Zipline’s largely autonomous drones can carry a payload of up to 1.7kg almost 80km and since 2019, the company has been working to build Ghana’s drone delivery infrastructure in concert with drug maker Pfizer, Ghana’s health ministry, delivery service provider UPS, and other partners. These efforts laid the groundwork for a system that could easily be expanded when the pandemic began. In a June 2021 interview, Zipline CEO Keller Rinaudo said the company had delivered at least 2.6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines (primarily the Aztra-Zeneca vaccine, which does not require the low temperatures needed for the mRNA vaccines) in Ghana. The company planned to deliver over 2.4 million more doses, with a particular focus on remote and roadless areas, by the end of last year.

UPS reported on Aug 21, 2021, that the company and its subsidiary, UPS Flight Forward, are operating the first-ever US drone Covid-19 vaccine delivery operation. This program is the second Covid-19 vaccine drone delivery operation globally following the drone deliveries in Ghana.

Venturebeat.com highlighted that Matternet drones were outfitted with a special cargo box that contains Cold Chain Technologies’ customized Phase Change Material Gel Solution, a temperature-­sensitive packaging mixture that maintains the Covid-19 vaccine at 2°C to 8°C, and a temperature monitoring device that monitors the vaccine temperature while in transit. These drones were used to deliver Covid-19 vaccines from Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center to one of the health system’s family medicine practices located at Piedmont Plaza, over 1km away.

UPS disclosed that its drone airline received first-of-its-kind approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to carry alkaline and lithium batteries, which are needed to power the temperature monitoring devices required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for Covid-19 vaccine transport. 

The World Health Organization has highlighted that India is using locally developed drones to deliver Covid-19 vaccines to compromised areas and strengthen the vaccine delivery system.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) led (i-Drone) pilot project is being rolled out in the remote states of Manipur and Nagaland and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The inaugural flight of the ICMR’s Drone Response and Outreach in Northeast India, covering 31km in less than 15 minutes, compared with the three to four hours needed to transport the vaccines to Loktak Lake, delivered 900 doses of Covid-19 vaccine from the Old DC Complex in Bishnupur district in Manipur to Karang Primary Health Centre, which is on an island in Loktak Lake. These doses were used to vaccinate 25 people at Karang PHC on the first day of the initiative on Oct 4, 2021.

Ferrying medical equipment

Brookings further highlighted that in the US, a number of companies conducted drone delivery trials during the pandemic, usually operating with special, tightly limited waivers for flight beyond visual line of sight issued by the FAA. In May 2020, Zipline partnered with North Carolina’s Novant Health to ferry small items like masks, gloves, and gowns weighing no more than 1.8kg between a medical center and a supply storage location, making trips of about 30km to 50km.

Transporting food to COVID-19  patient 

On Sept 1, 2021, Reuters reported that a group of drone enthusiasts in Indonesia was using their aerial skills to help during the pandemic by providing a contactless medicine and food delivery service to Covid-19 patients isolated at home.

Armed with five drones, the seven-member team has been working around the clock in Makassar, the capital of the South Sulawesi province, since early July last year to provide deliveries. 

Surveillance and monitoring 

Drones are being deployed in a number of countries, including China, the US, Spain, France, the UK, and India, to monitor social distancing, quarantine rules, and lockdown compliance.

As a case in point, Popular Mechanics magazine reported that despite public health officials recommending social distancing policies and governments banning large events and shuttering businesses to stop the spread of Covid-19, some people are still not listening. So, to keep people indoors, Spanish authorities are using drones, mounted with microphones, to scold those who are not self-quarantining.

Geospatial World magazine highlighted that in addition to street surveillance, authorities are also using drones to broadcast messages and information on lockdown measures, especially in rural areas that lack open communication channels for health information. Drones equipped with loudspeakers are used to make public announcements to keep people indoors, take necessary precautions, practice social distancing and wear a mask if stepping outside the home. China and many European countries are using drones to broadcast messages to the public.

Geospatial World shared that a Global Times video on Twitter shows a drone hovering over a village in Inner Mongolia, warning an elderly lady: “Yes grandmother, it’s the drone who is talking to you. You should not go out without wearing a mask. You’d better go home and don’t forget to wash your hands.”

However, the use of drones for surveillance raises a debate about privacy and individual rights.

Brookings highlighted that a court in Paris ruled that city authorities could not use drones to monitor social distancing, and communities in the US have snapped back at their use by local police.

Unicef's recommendation

1.     Appropriate financial and human resources need to be in place in order to have drone technology that is available when needed — either through service contracts or by having the local organizational capacity to run drone operations. It also needs to take international movement, health and supply restrictions into consideration;

2.     Establishing procurement algorithms that are built on selecting the most cost-efficient service that offers quality (service and technology), agility, sustainability, compliance, and other key elements;

3.     Drone program implementation cannot be done without local skills and capacity, therefore, local education and knowledge transfer is the key enabler. This does not only apply to people who can run drone operations, but also to governmental entities and the health sector that are the ultimate end-users of this technology;

4.     Drone utilization is not possible unless there is local regulation enabling safe drone operations;

5.     Local sensitization of communities and stakeholders needs to be done before and during the drone program implementation, in order to inform the public and raise awareness of the technology, ultimately ensuring local social and political acceptance.

6.     Drone integration into the health supply chain has to be shaped and determined by the design of the existing health supply chain system, taking into consideration the problem that drones are solving, the purpose of the use of this technology, as well as clarifying whether drones are a cost-effective alternative to existing transport modalities.

Recommendations for Malaysia

Malaysia should consider investing in and using drones to offer innovative solutions for its medical and social sector.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) could consider deploying drones to transport Covid-19 vaccines as well as other vaccines and medical supplies to areas that are difficult to access.

The food and beverage sector could use drones to deliver food and other essentials, especially to Covid-19 patients who are self-isolating at home, instead of using delivery riders as a means to reduce human interaction.

Respecting privacy, and deploying drones only when necessary, the National Security Council (MKN), in partnership with MoH and other enforcement agencies, could deploy drones in particular in crowded spaces such as stadiums and polling stations, including the upcoming Johor election, to monitor SOP compliance.

Since there has been an increase in infections in the education cluster, with more school children infected, drones could be deployed to selected schools to monitor the children to determine the possible causes of these infections, and for the Ministry of Education to put in place policies and guidelines to protect these children.

Urgent Need to Apply wartime Logic in Malaysia's Response to Covid 19

by Professor Dato Dr. Ahmad Ibrahim, 

Malaysia’s projection and actual Covid-19 cases.

In January 2021, MoH DG Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah posted on Twitter two of the ministry’s Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Removed (SEIR) model projections up to May 31; applying R0 infection rates (R0, pronounced R naught) at 1.1 and 1.2.

For the former, R0 of 1.1, the Ministry projected that Malaysia’s daily cases should only reach 3,000 daily cases by the second week of February, 5,000 by the second week of April, and 8,000 by the fourth week of May, and for the latter; R0 of 1.2, it was projected that Malaysia would only reach 3,000 daily cases by the fourth week of January, 5,000 cases by the third week of February and 8,000 by the third week of March.

However, Malaysia breached the 3,000 mark, recording 3,027 Covid-19 cases on January 7, 2021, 7478 new cases on 26 May 2021, and a record high of 9,020 cases on 29th May 2021 highest daily toll since the start of the pandemic. These have all exceeded the projections of the MoH.

We are at war with a Virus and it's essential for countries to apply Wartime logic to fight the pandemic.

At the opening of the World Health Organisation’s annual assembly of member states on 24th May 2021, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had urged recognition of the fact that “we are at war with a virus” and had called for countries to apply ‘wartime logic’ to fight the (Corona) virus that has killed 3.4 million people.

In response to the rising Covid cases and deaths, on 28th June, the prime minister announced that Government would extend the MCO for a further 2 weeks till mid-July and when Covid cases reduce to 4000 and below, Malaysia will enter into phase 2 of the National Recovery Period.

Alas, the Rakyat saw this as a grim impossibility with the current Covid cases hovering between 5000 plus and 6000 plus and at times reaching near 7000 cases, only with the occasional 4000 plus Covid cases registered recently.

Recommendations for Malaysia

As Malaysia continues to experience the surge in Covid-19 cases and deaths, with the projected 4000 cases near impossible to achieve at this rate and by this current strategy, and in view of the MoH daily update that industry clusters are the major sources and causes of infections it is imperative for the Government, to reflect upon whether the current strategy and response by Malaysia is the RIGHT Prescription for Success.

The prime minister had shared with Malaysians that the Ministry of Health had recommended a total lockdown similar to MCO 1.0 for MCO 3.0. However, news reports highlighted that there were arguments between Ministers and finally a nationwide semi lockdown was imposed, with many non-essential businesses approved to operate. This had horrified the public.

With a respected prime minister and Cabinet ministers, it is vital that Malaysia applies wartime logic to win this war. A military strategist will apply military power including military forces, territory, and resources to fight a major land, sea, and air war and strategize on how to apply force, including which aspect of the military -land, naval, and air forces to mobilize.

As a case in point, in the event of an attack or crisis at sea, the Chief of the Navy and his team would develop strategies for the planning and conduct of war with the aim of achieving victory at sea, under the leadership of the Commander in Chief

It is thus critical for the Government to recognize that Covid-19 pandemic is a public health crisis and accord priority to the Ministry of Health and its team of experts to develop relevant strategies to fight this pandemic and support the MoH’s recommendations for a nationwide full lockdown as per MCO 1.0 for the nation to have a better chance of achieving the target of 4000 Covid cases and less, which will enable the nation and rakyat to proceed to phase 2, 3 and 4 of the NRP successfully.

The danger of maintaining this relatively less restrictive MCO as compared to MCO 1.0 may see the nation in a permanent lockdown which will ultimately further worsen the nation’s health, social, economic, business, and financial crisis.

Additionally, as in war, it is critical that the military resources, supplies, equipment, and weapons must be adequate and in good condition.

Presently it has been reported that our front liners are working long hours and many are facing burnt out, hospital beds are nearly fully occupied and oxygen may be insufficient which paints a grim situation for the nation’s health system which may be overwhelmed any time soon

Furthermore, the stress, despair, and desperation felt by the Rakyat arising from prolonged lockdown and isolation from family and friends are causing stress, and mental illnesses, and resulting in social crises including domestic violence and the tragic cases of suicides reported daily.

Thus it is urgent that a new strategy must be in place including instituting a full and not a partial nation lockdown as it seems to be so currently, and closing non-essential businesses just for a targeted period of time to ensure the Covid cases and deaths can be reduced significantly for the Government to able to end the lockdown soon to facilitate a better quality of life for citizens including frontliners and improved conditions for businesses.

With this new prescription for success, Malaysia will have a better chance to emerge victorious over this catastrophic pandemic.

Low health literacy among B40 a growing concern

by Professor Dato Dr. Ahmad Ibrahim, 

THE pandemic has exposed serious flaws in health matters in the country. The fact that health literacy is low in the country is a cause for concern. 

Many are still in denial about the usefulness of the vaccine in managing Covid-19 infections. This is despite all the evidence available. 

Though low health literacy is not limited to any group, it is most rampant, unfortunately, among the Bottom 40 percent (B40).

Low in the recent three-country study on hypertension among the B40 group. The study, called "Respond", is a joint effort between the United Kingdom, Malaysia, and the Phillippines. 

In terms of access to information, diagnosis, and treatment, the study confirmed that we in Malaysia do enjoy a good health support infrastructure.

Led by the late Datuk Dr. Khalid Yusof of UCSI University, the study unveiled some disconcerting facts about hypertension management among the B40 group.

The findings provide feedback to policymakers on the implementation challenges of national hypertension policies. The UK partner, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine provided useful partnerships in the research.

The study's B40 participants included those in urban and rural areas. The states of Penang, Johor, Kelantan, and Selangor were selected.

Questions posed covered access to information, diagnosis, and treatment. The findings have been written as policy briefs for submission to health professionals and the government.

As part of efforts to share the study's findings with the public, especially the B40, a webinar was held. An overwhelming number of about 800 participants joined.

Three key members of the study presented the findings and answered questions from the audience. Judging by the questions, many among the B40 still have a poor understanding of how to best manage hypertension.

In terms of access to information, diagnosis, and treatment, the study confirmed that we in Malaysia do enjoy a good health support infrastructure.

Government health clinics are easily accessible in many parts of the country, especially in West Malaysia.

The situation in East Malaysia is still dire though. Clinics provide good support in terms of information and consultation for those who require advice on hypertension.

There is, therefore, no reason for the B40 not to know what to do when dealing with hypertension.

Regular screening of hypertension is part of the prescribed management regime. The government has introduced a scheme called PeKa B40 which provides all kinds of support, including paying for transport to health clinics for screenings.

But according to the Health Ministry, the campaign has received a lukewarm response. So much so that the government is thinking of using mobile clinics.

Based on findings from the Respond study, the major challenge has to do with the need to change lifestyle. Despite being diagnosed with hypertension, many still skip taking the prescribed medicine.

Many still treat the disease as not serious. Many were surprised when told that there is no cure for hypertension. The fact that hypertension can be effectively managed through diligent medication and suitable lifestyle change is also not well understood.

Few would dispute that hypertension costs the economy significantly. It is a silent killer which has no cure. But over the years, scientists have found ways to manage the disease through medication and lifestyle changes.

It is unfortunate that this message has not reached everyone. This was revealed in the Respond study. A major suggestion of the study is for health authorities to rethink the communication strategy on hypertension to achieve a wider reach in the population.

Unfortunately, the part that is most challenging concerns the practices of the B40 themselves. This is where no kind of infrastructure can help.

It is to do with the behavior of those with the disease. Many among the B40, as revealed during the webinar's question time, still believe hypertension is curable.

It's the same with Covid-19. Despite the fact that those vaccinated are shown to be less prone to serious infections, many still refuse to get the booster dose.

It all boils down to a low appreciation for evidence-based health management in the country. Many still listen to hearsay rather than take the advice of doctors.

Al, drone tech can help palm oil industry

by Professor Dato Dr. Ahmad Ibrahim, 

There is growing concern about the import ban on palm oil products into the United States.

A few companies were slapped with the withhold release order (WRO) by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency on claims of forced labor.

The affected companies have submitted evidence to clear their names to secure the entry of their goods into the US market.

The industry is also seeking more lasting solutions. About 100 people joined the recent online discussion on the issue hosted by the Law School of Universiti Malaya.

The webinar proved very informative. Constructive solutions were proposed.

Apparently, as explained by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) officer based in Washington, the US law on forced labor is not new. It has been around for many decades.

But, in the original act, only imported products that competed with locally produced US products were subjected to such a ban. Other products were spared from the ruling.

This changed in 2016, during the President Barack Obama administration when the law was made to apply to all imported products. Since then, many imported products were affected.

Palm oil is not the first. According to information shared during the webinar, we have been aware of this all along.

The government has in fact created laws to get businesses to conform to the International Labour Organisation standards on forced labor. But we have been weak on enforcement and implementation.

Some of the criteria relate to poor living conditions of workers, the withholding of workers' passports, and very low pay.

Under the requirements for the import of migrant labor, the amount that workers have to pay to secure jobs here can hold them in bondage for years, therefore forcing them to work to be relieved from such bondage.

All the panelists agreed that the issue of forced labor is here to stay. There is a good chance that the ruling may be adopted by other countries. This is in line with the new ESG demand on businesses globally.

Some say those businesses which fail to embrace ESG (good practices in environment, social, and governance), will face obstacles in their business dealings.

In Malaysia, sectors that mostly use migrant labor include construction, plantation, manufacturing, and food and beverage (F&B). The pressure is less on the construction and F&B sectors since they are not exporting.

Apart from the US import ban, the palm oil industry also faces labor shortages.

With the current historic palm oil price touching RM7,000 per tonne, the shortage of migrant labor causes the industry to lose billions of ringgit in unharvested oil palm fruits. It appears that this issue of labor shortage won't go away anytime soon.

Unless the problems of an import ban and labor shortage are addressed, the palm oil industry will face hard times in the coming years.

A planned phasing out of the industry's addiction to cheap migrant labor should receive serious consideration.

The industry must not discount a more concerted investment in technology to wean away from being over-reliant on cheap labor.

Over the years, the industry has implemented many mechanization approaches to ease its dependence on labor. But the mechanization of the harvesting operation remains unresolved.

The industry may need to relook at the bottlenecks in the adoption of technologies. There are now labor-saving technologies available as a result of years of investment in research and development.

They include robotics or drones, artificial intelligence (AI), and digitalization. We need to not only boost our investment in R&D but also tap into the best research brains locally and internationally to develop such technologies.

Using MPOB as the anchor R&D center, a new research alliance on mechanization and automation should be established to deliver this.

The research alliance should bring in R&D initiatives at universities and other research centers, such as MIMOS and SIRIM. The alliance should also explore links with international R&D centers which specialize in the relevant automation technologies.

Otherwise, such labor concerns will continue to haunt the industry in years to come.

A stable Sarawak govt will boost digital progress

     by Professor Dato Dr. Ahmad Ibrahim,

On Dec 18, the people of Sarawak will vote in a new government. A two-thirds majority is what will ensure stability.

Only a stable government can implement the many plans needed to bring progress to the state.

In this era of digital innovation, I think Sarawak has embarked on the right path to digitalise the many instruments of nation building.

I have been observing Sarawak in recent years. I am confident that if the state sticks to the many plans in place, it will in no time emerge as one of the country's richest states, challenging the position held by Selangor and Penang.

Sarawak is blessed with natural resources, including forest resources, as well natural assets for renewable energy development, especially hydropower.

The state is rich in offshore petroleum resources. What the state needs to maximise value from such resources is to create the right innovation ecosystem to attract local and foreign investments.

I believe Sarawak has been serious about creating such an ecosystem to drive innovation.

Take the harvesting of forest resources. Years of unsustainable logging practices have been replaced by sustainable timber harvesting.

The change in logging practices started during the stewardship of the late chief minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem, and Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg, who took over as chief minister, has remained committed to that policy.

Many consider this move as wise and positive for the state.

It would be good if Sarawak also embarks on forest plantations to augment the supply of logs for the downstream timber industry.

Rubber tree has emerged as a favourite forest plantation species in many trials.

Together with the timber biomass from Sarawak's large swathe of oil palm plantations, the state is poised to generate lucrative economic rewards in the coming years.

Furniture making is one option to add value to the state's forest resources.

It was during the time of Abang Johari as chief minister that Sarawak grew serious about digitalisation.

As soon as he came into office, he launched Sarawak's digital economy blueprint.

The progress has been encouraging as the state implemented initiatives to transform Sarawak into a smart state, including transforming its capital, Kuching, into a smart city by banking on digitalisation.

I had the opportunity to interview the Sarawak Digital chief executive officer in our production of a book, "Malaysia Smart City Outlook".

It became clear that Kuching is ahead of other cities in the country on the smart city initiative.

Soon after, the government formalised the establishment of the Sarawak Research Council (SRC).

I consider that as another milestone in moving the agenda of the technology innovation ecosystem for Sarawak.

The latest that has come out from the SRC is the initiative to set up the Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre (SIDC).

This is seen as a wise move as the world now views investment in public health as critical, with the forecast that infectious diseases management is destined to be a big global business, after the bad experience with the Covid-19 pandemic.

There is no denying that Sarawak has set itself up as an exemplary state when it comes to harnessing the power of the digital technology.

One feature that other states should also emulate is the capitalisation of the state's university resources to drive innovation.

SRC works with the top academic institutions in the state, especially Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and UCSI University.

With UCSI, there is active consultation on digitalising the hospitality and tourism sector, which is a major component of the state's economy.

Unimas supports the projects under SIDC.

I am sure the expertise in other colleges and universities in the state is included in the innovation ecosystem.

With these initiatives, Sarawak is on the right path to gain from the digital economy.

Ignoring science at our peril

    by Professor Dato Dr. Ahmad Ibrahim,

LETTERS: I recently came across news that Lynas, the rare earths processing company that has been the subject of much ridicule, is busy putting the final touches to its new plant in Texas, United States.

Many of our local people who work for Lynas in Kuantan are among the team involved in the Texas plant. What a pity. We are still entangled in the unnecessary controversy of getting Lynas out of the country.

While others are exploring opportunities emerging in the downstream uses of rare earths, there are those here who still argue about the waste produced by that rare earths processing facility.

Speaking to a radiation expert recently, I came to realise the tragic consequences of ignorance that befall us.

He was appalled by the fuss caused by some, when, in actual fact, the radiation level of the Lynas residues, at less than one unit, poses no danger.

In fact, the radiation level of the amang from tin mines, often left openly unattended, is higher.

What is even more mind-boggling is that the Lynas plant residues are rich in phosphates, a fertiliser that we import in large quantities for the plantation industry.

What is unacceptable is when such ignorance comes from leaders who are comparatively more educated.

Those in the know view such ignorance as a tragedy for the nation.

This is because, as a result of the uncalled for controversy, the country has missed the opportunity to capitalise on the presence of Lynas in our midst.

The truth is the rare earths elements that Lynas supplies to the world present a lot of economic opportunities for our country.

We talk a lot about making the country a high-income economy. But what we practise is in conflict with these aspirations.

How can we achieve the high-income target if our minimum wage is below the poverty level? Even the RM1,500 level suggested by the government is ridiculed by some.

Instead of hounding Lynas, we should instead expand our investment in rare earths.

According to the nation's geologists, there are areas in the country that have rich deposits of rare earths.

We should start to responsibly mine these treasures instead of exporting bare earths as we did in the bauxite scandal.

If we are to achieve a high-income economy, we should look at how to add value to our raw materials.

Our manufacturers should be incentivised to produce intermediates as well as final products from rare earths. We should promote foreign direct investment in rare earth-based products.

Making high-powered magnets is a popular route taken by countries. These magnets will find demand in many applications, including those needed in electric mobility and the military.

And we all know that the future of transport is in electric. We should not miss this opportunity to be a player in this business.

Ignorance in the science of rare earths is one tragedy we should learn from and make amends. The other that troubles the nation now is the ignorance of vaccination science.

This is despite vaccination being deployed for decades in the management of infectious diseases all over the world.

This is also despite all the evidences shared by scientists around the world. Instead of spreading falsehoods about vaccination, we should tell people about the science.

Conspiracy theories bandied around are not backed by evidence. It is unfortunate that those who are ignorant are taken in by fake claims.

It is time we wake up to the consequences of ignorance.

We will miss out on opportunities that can bring positive change to the nation.

States should invest in desalination to solve water woes

   by Professor Dato Dr. Ahmad Ibrahim,

THE past few months have been trying for Penang. The state has been struggling to seek new water sources to meet its growing demand.

It is inevitable that the state's demand for water will continue to rise.

This shows the very critical role of water in the economy. Kedah was first approached and later Perak, but both efforts proved futile. The reason is simple. Kedah and Perak have done their homework on water demand.

As both states pursue their own economic agenda, they will need water for their own use. Any interstate water transfer is, at best, a stop-gap measure to increase water supply in Penang. All states must look for longer-term sources.

The irony of the country's water issue is that we can sometimes have a deluge of supply, especially during the monsoon. But most often, we fail to capture it as it eventually drains off to the sea.

Some will replenish the groundwater supply. These sudden deluges often cause problems, such as floods and landslides.

The situation has gotten worse as more of our natural forests have been cleared for development. Of course, we need to open land for development. But of greater concern is when the clearing is done in sensitive water catchment areas.

Such forested areas have been acting as sponges for water collection. With the gradual disappearance of such areas, water would simply gush down rivers at high speed, causing floods that devastate homes and properties, and take away lives.

We know that more than 90 per cent of the Earth is covered in water. But the bulk is saline seawater, which is not what we really want.

We need fresh water for agriculture, manufacturing and of course, for the household.

Fortunately, there are ways to obtain fresh water from seawater. The trick is to remove the salt. The process of removing salt, or desalination, involves reducing the seawater's salinity to make it suitable for use.

In the past, desalination was done by evaporating seawater. The steam from the evaporation process is cooled and condensed into fresh water, leaving salt as residue.

There are new ways to do desalination. We owe it to the development of membrane technology. As a result of improvements in the design of the membrane process, as well as the development of new membrane materials, the cost of desalination has come down significantly.

One problem with membranes is "fouling", which leads to the clogging of the membrane's holes. This reduces its capacity to separate water from salt.

However, as a result of research, there are now new membrane materials that can operate for a long period without fouling.

Such a technological breakthrough has made membrane desalination an attractive proposition. Who knows, with more research, there will be more improvements in the coming years. One should never discount the power of research and development.

Over the years, more countries have turned to desalination for the supply of fresh water. Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states have long depended on desalinated water.

Singapore has also invested in desalination plants to resolve its water woes. The republic must have realised that it would be impractical to depend on supply from Johor forever.

Penang should do likewise if it wants to avoid a chronic water shortage.

In fact, using the same argument, even the other states should seriously consider investing in desalination facilities. Melaka, which has experienced a serious water shortage before, can benefit from this.

There were a few occasions when the state was brought to its knees due to water shortages. It is time for us to give serious consideration to desalination technology.