We soon found an ideal source of water supply on one side of the hilltop. But to have the water supply was not enough. We had also to consider ways to dispose of wastes and to have a proper sewerage system. After careful consideration, we came up with a plan to take care of both needs.

We decided to turn one side of the forest area into a catchment area of water supply for the whole of Genting Highlands. We would take good care of it and protect it from being polluted. We would then establish a sewerage system on the other side of the hill. As such, both sides of the hilltop would be exploited for different but complementary purposes.

We adopted the policy of self-sufficiency in water supply. We set up and operated our own supply system. This policy has remained unchanged till today.

First, we built a catchment area where water obtained from nearby streams was stored. After being treated, the water would be pumped upstream to the hotels on the hilltop where it could be transferred to other distribution points. As the water sourced from the mountain streams was clear and clean, it required only simple processing and treatment to turn it into drinking water.

However, with the increase in the number of hotels and tourists visiting Genting Highlands, the sole water supply system was no longer sufficient to meet the increased demand. So, we sent another team to the jungle to scout for more sources of water. The team succeeded in finding a major source at the lower ravine of Gunung Ulu Kali.

This time around, we operated a “reverse processing’’ water supply system. The operating cost of this system was very high because we had to put in place many pump houses and power generators to pump the water up the hill for treatment.

As the capacity of each water pump and the amount of water collected at each collection station was limited, it was necessary to build four pump houses and four collection stations to make the system work.

We had first to divert the stream water to a catchment area and then channel it to the pump houses to be sent up to the hilltop.

At the hilltop, we had a treatment plant which could process 273,000 litres of drinking water per hour. The treated water would be stored in reservoir with a storage capacity of 7.3 million litres before it was distributed to the various points for use.

As a precaution against unanticipated situations, we built water treatment plants and reservoirs at the second and fourth pump houses. The volume of stream water that could be treated and stored by these additional installations was twice that of the first treatment plant.

To supply water to the midhill area of Genting Highlands, we initially used a five-centimetre diameter pipe to draw water from the hilltop and stored it in a big tank halfway up the hill for distribution. With rapid development, demand for water in the midhill area also increased. So we identified additional catchment areas to get more water. After treatment, the water would be supplied directly to the midhill area of Genting Highlands.

Later we also found a source of stream water near the midhill area. We built another treatment plant in Sri Layang which could process 205,000 litres of drinking water per hour. We also built a reservoir capable of storing 4.5 million litres of water.

To cater for the growing demand for water in the midhill, we installed another treatment plant and reservoir in the Awana area.

Up to now, we have constructed five treatment plants and 13 reservoirs of various capacities to meet the resort’s daily needs of 13.6 million litres of drinking water.

With the expected completion of the proposed 6,300-room hotel, water consumption will also increase. To meet the expected increase in demand, we are now building a new reservoir which can store up to 136 million litres of water for emergency use as well as another treatment plant.

To ensure an uninterrupted supply of drinking water and maintain the water quality, we have taken various measures. These include designating catchment areas that are far away from the development sites so as to ensure that there is less risk of the source of water being polluted. We are also preserving vast tracts of the jungle land for use as catchment areas.