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

Abstract

This case study aims to assess public awareness of drinking water safety and water contamination incidents in Selangor among non-student individuals at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), with 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 the quality of drinking water, their level of trust in its safety, and their awareness of water-related problems and potential alternatives. The study revealed that 31.2% of participants expressed strong confidence in the safety of their drinking water. A significant majority (80.2%) prioritized concerns about water quality and contamination events, focusing on risks to human health, the scale of impact, and underlying causes of such incidents. Notably, 30.4% of respondents addressed water quality issues independently, with only a small fraction escalating complaints to health authorities or local helplines. While age and gender showed no substantial link to public awareness of water pollution, rural residents reported greater satisfaction with their drinking water and heightened awareness of contamination risks compared to non-rural populations. Additionally, individuals with higher educational attainment tended to prioritize water quality concerns and pollution incidents more than those with less formal education.