Abstract

Malaysia northern region has been an important space for public sphere by Malaysian environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs). The past decades have witnessed severe threats in water resources in the northern region. Charitable and voluntary organizations have been contributing significantly towards the solution of the threats. The ENGOs have equipped themselves adequately and advocated for policy change or implementation and served in a civil society role. However, many people have not realized the potential of NGOs and their considerable merit. The 3 examples of the ENGOs are water watch penang, Malaysian nature society and Kedah’s Friends of Ulu Muda II. One of these ENGOs promotes water saving society, the other protects the water catchments in forest reserve and the other deals with a controversial issue of helicopter logging by Kedah state government. This overview seeks to highlight some of the key ENGOs in Malaysia northern region involved in shaping the debate on recent water related issues and outline some of their networks, out reach programmes and campaigns.

Key words:  Environmental, NGOs, water issues, public awareness, Malaysia.