Why Is NRW Still So Hard To Bring Down in Malaysia?

Water . Governance
Jun 3, 2026

Text & Graphics: Shaza Al Muzayen
Editor: Sakina Mohamed

June 3, 2026 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has spent decades trying to reduce non-revenue water, or NRW, but the remaining losses are becoming harder and costlier to fix.

For Air Selangor, the challenge lies largely underground. The utility manages more than 31,000km of pipes across Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, where hidden leaks, recurring bursts and ageing pipes continue to drive water losses.

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