He said the state had sufficient laws and regulations to manage and protect its water resources, and at the same time, there were several state and federal agencies responsible for the development and management of water resources. He pointed out, however, that no single agency was entrusted with the function of managing overall water resources management and development. “Some agencies are responsible for the physical environment, while others are responsible for resource management. Some have technical expertise but no legislative or enforcement powers and vice versa; while many agencies suffer from inadequate funding, lack of expertise and manpower. “Such diversified and conflicting needs of water resources definitely warrant an urgent need for the integration statewide based on the Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) model,” said Dr Rauf. His speech was read by Environment and Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Ganie Ugay at the opening of the IRBM workshop here. Dr Rauf reiterated that there were many studies held to protect water resources, as it was slowly diminishing in both quantity and quality, leading to the need for the IRBM approach. He explained that the IRBM approach included the adoption of a comprehensive policy framework, the treatment of water as an economic good, combined with decentralised management and delivery structures as well as full participation of stakeholders. He pointed out that in Peninsular Malaysia, the approach had been adopted in the Selangor River Basin and Kedah River Basin. “In Sarawak, IRBM is not new as it has been discussed and examined by planners and implementers but without much success in actual implementation,” he said. There were also many studies conducted and a number of options for IRBM approach in the management of the Batang Rajang River Basin. Dr Rauf hoped that the workshop can examine and deliberate on the proposed options, in terms of feasibility, legislative framework, operational issues, cost, human resource requirements and the like. He pointed out that the State Planning Unit had recently commissioned a study on the Sarawak Integrated Water Resources Management Master Plan, which is expected to be completed this year. The study aims to formulate a master plan, as well as provide a phased implementation plan and an action plan for the state. “All these studies indicate the effort of the state government to seriously look into the management of our water resources. It is thus, an opportune time for us to take a bold step towards the realisation of IRBM in Sarawak,” said Dr Rauf. The two-day workshop was jointly organised by the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) with the Ministry of the Natural Resources and Environment Malaysia; and the Sarawak Development Institute. Topics discussed included IRBM, Case Studies of IRBM Model in Malaysia and Overview of Development Activities within the Sarawak River Basin. There were also group discussions to review multiple agencies’ roles in water resource management within the Sarawak River Basin, as well as panel discussion on recommended model of IRBM for the Sarawak River Basin and Future Action Plan.