Malaysians are being urged to immediately slash their shower times in half and stop washing their cars daily, according to Charles Santiago, as a prolonged heatwave pushes critical water sources like the Sungai Muda to dangerously low levels. The former National Water Services Commission (SPAN) chairman said these everyday habits — often overlooked — are collectively draining millions of litres of water at a time when supply is tightening. “Go easy on car washing, gardening, and cut your shower time by 50 per cent,” he told Malay Mail. Santiago singled out car washing as a major source of water wastage, saying that some Malaysians even washed their vehicles every day. “If you take one million cars and multiply that by about 25 litres per wash, you are already looking at about 25 million litres of water a week — and that is just for one wash,” he explained.
