Public Awareness of Drinking Water Safety and Contamination Issues in Selangor: A Case Study Among Non-university Malaysians

This case study is conducted to understand public awareness about drinking water safety and water contamination accidents in Selangor among non-students Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and get a total of 247 respondents. From 247 respondents, the majority of the respondents’ age is around 20 until 34 years old and mostly female which is 63.2% compared to males which are only 36.8%. Most of the respondents are bachelor’s degree holders which are 62.8%. The respondents with a science background are 51.8%. The majority of the respondents’ income is below RM 3000 which is 38.9%. The number of Malay respondents is the highest compared to another ethnicity which is 86.2%. We evaluated public satisfaction with drinking water quality, public trust in the safety of drinking water, and public awareness of drinking water issues and alternatives. According to the findings, 31.2% of respondents were very confident with the quality of their drinking water. Drinking water quality and contamination incidents were given special or pretty high attention by 80.2% of respondents, particularly in terms of possible harm to the human body and health, the scope of the influence, and the causes of accidents. A total of 30.4% of respondents solved drinking water problems by themselves; few respondents complained to the health department or called the local telephone hotline. There are no significant roles in the degree of public perception of water pollution incidents between age and sex; however, residents that stay in rural areas are mostly more satisfied with their drinking water quality and more aware of drinking water contamination accidents than areas outside their area. Water quality and water pollution incidents that happened usually get higher attention from respondents with higher education levels than respondents from lower education levels.