Malaysia Water Resources

Malaysia receives an average annual precipitation of about 3000 mm. The total average annual flow per year for Malaysia rivers is estimated as 580 km³/year.The total runoff for Malaysia is an average from the 150 river basins systems around the country and contribute 98% of the total national water use. The total annual groundwater resources are assessed as 64 km³. The World Resources Institute had estimated that in 2007 the annual renewable water supply of Malaysia to be approximately 22,100 m3/person/year, a fall of about 2% from 22,484 m3/person/year in 2006.
In recent times, several studies show that climate change is likely to impact significantly upon water resources availability. Since Malaysia lies entirely in the equatorial zone, the climate is governed by the yearly alternation of the northeast and southwest monsoons. Therefore, change in climate will affect frequency of flood and drought episodes in this region.