Fadillah (above, centre) celebrates with the IWK staff at the event.
SARAFINA Osman and Rozalila Omar joined the Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) Sdn Bhd in 1994 and grew together with the company over the years.
They were among the 25 recipients of the 30-year service award, which was acknowledged at the “IWK30: 3 Decades of Ensuring People’s Well-Being” 30-year anniversary event.
Sarafina said the company had a good work environment and superiors who cared for employees and took their jobs seriously.
The two recipients both serve in IWK’s finance department.
“The public may not know but there is a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes at IWK by the employees, especially those who work at the site,” said Rozalila, who was also presented with a gold coin and certificate for her years of service.
The 30th anniversary celebration took place at the IWK Eco Park at Pantai Dalam, with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof as the guest of honour.
Rozalila (left) and Sarafina with their gold coins and certificates.
Fadillah said IWK had made remarkable progress over the years and had received global recognition for some of its achievements.
He said the company treated 2.97 billion cubic metres of wastewater a year, based on the modern linear economy method.
This method involves treating the effluence and releasing it into the river, while the sediment is treated and discarded at the landfill.
He said that since 2015, IWK had ventured into the circular economy and had produced bi-products from wastewater, such as renewable energy and alternative water sources for non-consumption.
He added that another initiative undertaken by IWK was converting biosolid waste into organic fertiliser.
The company produces 80,000 tonnes of biosolid waste each year. The company is finding ways to reuse this valuable resource and reduce waste at the landfill.
IWK is offering alternative, cost-effective, and sustainable manure as compared to synthetic ones, he added.
IWK is also using solar panels at 396 of its plants, with an estimated savings of RM1.8mil each year by 2027.
“All these efforts are in line with the country’s sustainable development goals, and I congratulate IWK,” he said.
Meanwhile, IWK chairman Ahmad Johnie Zawawi said that in 2023, the company would have achieved a compliance rate of 98% in releasing effluence.
IWK also received international acknowledgement at the Global Water Summit 2024, held in London. IWK was recognised as one of the four leaders under the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6) Pledge.
To commemorate this significant milestone, IWK also unveiled several initiatives dedicated to giving back to the community, such as the PERANTIS IWK apprentice programme and a theatre production titled Najis Jadi Teman, a creative platform to showcase the intriguing world of sewage treatment, said Ahmad Johnie.
He added that IWK had been recognised to lead capacity-building projects via a mentorship programme by UN Habitat and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
