KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government will continue to empower national water management through the National Water Policy which will be finalised after engagement sessions with state governments are conducted.

"I have chaired the 5th National Water Council Meeting (MAN 5), an important platform involving the federal and state governments responsible for setting policies, direction and approaches relating to national water management and development,” he said in a Facebook post today.

To reduce the risk of disasters related to dam failures which pose a threat to people, Anwar said the Dam and Water Infrastructure Technical Centre (PTE) would be streamlined with the placement of experienced officers with cross-sector expertise to undertake monitoring and inspection of dam safety and technical aspects on a centralised basis.

Anwar said the government paid serious attention to the issue of water pollution and he had directed all departments and agencies at the federal level to monitor and take appropriate actions in collaboration with state governments based on the National River Water Quality Status Report.

"I touched on the need to strike a balance between national water availability and needs by managing water resources more effectively based on best governance principles so that it could be utilised in an optimum manner to meet the needs of the people,” he said. — Bernama