Water is a basic human need, not a luxury. I have been to Europe, and based on my research, free water refill stations are a standard feature at train stations and shopping centres, even in small townships.
In Japan, there are apps like mymizu which help you find free water at 200,000 locations. Belgium has 100 stations, and the United Kingdom has 20 major rail stations covered.
Why does Malaysia, a progressive and developed country, still have no app, no map, and no infrastructure to find water dispensers?
Singapore has water coolers at hawker centres, bus interchanges, and parks. Japan has free pumps at stations and free refills at MUJI and IKEA. South Korea has free water vending machines at terminals. All of these countries mandate free drinking water under laws like the EU Drinking Water Directive.
In the UK, restaurants must provide free tap water by law. France bans refusing it. In the United States, fast food restaurants provide free water cups. Japan serves it automatically.
In Singapore, when restaurants charged $5 for water, more than 900 people petitioned because the actual cost is 0.13 cents. In Malaysia, we charge RM2 to RM4 for plain water, on top of meals that cost RM15 to RM30. Why can’t Malaysia provide what others do?
In the UK and France, any place serving alcohol must provide free tap water by law. This is basic harm reduction. Why won’t Malaysia implement this?
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has detailed and strict regulations for many things, from food premises grading to labelling requirements, which we appreciate. Yet there is no regulation to ensure access to free drinking water in public spaces like shopping malls, transit stations, highway rest areas, and eateries, which is fundamental to public health in our climate.
Private developers have billions to build dozens of Class A shopping malls, yet they refuse to provide a single free water dispenser. Why does MOH not make it mandatory for them to do so?
KTM, LRT, and MRT stations have no water dispenders despite the hot climate and long commutes. Even our highway rest areas and petrol stations have no free water refill points, unlike in other countries. Why can’t we have this?
I respectfully request MOH to make the following measures mandatory:
- Free filtered water dispensers in all Class A shopping malls across the country.
- Free plain water when a meal is ordered, including at fast food restaurants, and free water at all premises serving alcohol.
- Free water refill stations at all KTM, LRT, and MRT stations, highway rest areas, and petrol stations, and a public app to locate them.
This is about public health, not comfort.
The author is a reader from Kuala Lumpur.
- This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of CodeBlue.
