Johor needs expertise to administer and manage water resources which is important in the face of conflict over raw water supply in the future, Menteri Besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin said.

In neighbouring Singapore, he said expertise was not an issue because it already had 400 water specialists.

But here we lack expertise, thus raising the question of how Johor will face a water crisis in the future.

He urged all parties to come forward to help the state in this aspect including Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) which is said to have a centre of excellence for water-related research and resources.

Mohamed Khaled said this when launching the 2015 Johor Water Forum at the Johor International Convention Centre (Persada) in Johor Baru yesterday.

Mohamed Khaled said, at the same time, the government will continue to draw up clear and detailed management plans for raw water supply for a period of 50 years.

He said it was necessary in view of factors such as global warming, climate change and population growth which have contributed in posing a threat to water resources.

- Bernama