#nahrim

New Post has been published on http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/02/28/fancy-a-taman-negara-cloud-juice/

Fancy a Taman Negara cloud juice?

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28, 2015:

Most of us are familiar with sky juice, the moniker for a humble glass of plain water. But cloud juice?

While treated piped water and underground sources of water provide an ample supply of sky juice, cloud juice is literally tapped from the clouds — rainwater, to be specific.

Over the past two years or so, the National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM) has been conducting research on harvesting rainwater and converting it into potable water, and even studying the feasibility of bottling it for commercial purpose.

The concept of bottling rainwater may be new in Malaysia, but not so in several other countries, which are already processing rainwater into potable water.

One good example is Tasmania, Australia, where rainwater harvesting is being carried at King Island, which is said to have the cleanest rainwater in the world. The water is processed and bottled and sold not only in the domestic market, but also exported as well.

Similarly, Malaysia, too, has ample potential to tap this natural source of water as it is blessed with about 3,000mm of rainfall a year.

According to NAHRIM director-general Datuk Ir Ahmad Jamaluddin Shaaban, Malaysia may one day produce its own drinking water processed from rainwater, and his institute has even coined an appropriate name for it — Tropical Forest Cloud Juice.

The first half of its name denotes the pristine rainforest of Taman Negara in Pahang, which will be the venue for the rainwater harvesting. It helps that the national park also happens to have the cleanest air quality in the entire country.

Ahmad Jamaluddin said the national park was chosen for its pollution-free environment, which would contribute to producing high-quality rainwater.

“We only want rainwater which is of the best quality… Taman Negara was chosen because it’s a forested area and situated away from industrial zones… the environment there is peaceful, clean, unique and ideal for our purpose,” he  told Bernama recently.

He said compared with normal water, rainwater possessed special qualities, besides being “fresh” and having a unique taste.

But, he reminded, rainwater had to go through a thorough filtering process to remove pollutants before being rendered fit for consumption.

“Rainwater is generally cleaner and we don’t have to use chemicals or chlorine to kill any germs. Furthermore, its mineral content is also low and is, therefore, suitable for those on a low-sodium diet,” he explained.

Illustrating how rainwater was processed for drinking, Ahmad Jamaluddin said it would have to go through an initial filtering process to remove dirt and debris like dried leaves before being stored in a tank.

According to him, the health and safety levels of the filtered and treated rainwater had to meet the standards imposed by the Ministry of Health (MoH) before it could be bottled for commercial use.

“We have been conducting research on this matter since end-2012 in order to produce water that met the required  specifications… we’ve completed our research and we also have the technology.

“Right now, we’re at the final stage and hope to get a licence from MoH in two months. After that, we’ll start promoting bottled rainwater,” he said.

He said if Tropical Forest Cloud Juice was well accepted by the public, NAHRIM planned to “spice” up the product by adding flavours to the drink.