Top 5 at 5: How Data Centers Might Cause a Water Crisis

Charles Santiago, Chairman, National Water Services Commission (SPAN)

24-Jan-25 17:00

Top 5 at 5: How Data Centers Might Cause a Water Crisis

Pause
Embed

The National Water Services Commission (SPAN) has raised concerns about the unsustainable water usage of data centers as the country sees a surge in billion-ringgit investments. Charles Santiago, SPAN Chairman, discusses the risks and what needs to change.

• Is the Gaza ceasefire holding?: Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the US, but questions remain about its effectiveness. Assal Rad, scholar of Middle East History and Politics, examines what this deal means for Gaza and what will happen next.

• Free HPV vaccines available now: The National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM) is offering free HPV vaccines until January 26 to those aged 13-26 to prevent cervical cancer. Walk into their office at Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz between 8:30 AM and 10 PM to get your jab. If you're older, you might still be eligible—WhatsApp +60 10-350 1833 to check. For more on why this initiative is crucial, we hear from Dr. Leevyadhashiny Ganasan, NCSM Health Promotion Lead.

• Planets "align" in the night sky: A planetary "parade" is currently happening until mid-February, which means we get to see a smattering of planets in the night sky, all visible to the naked eye. Chong Hon Yew, member of the Penang Astronomical Society, shares what to expect.

• 2025 Oscar nominations announced: Leading the nominations is the Spanish-language French musical crime comedy, Emilia Pérez, with 13-nominations. Following closely behind are The Brutalist and Wicked with 10-nominations each. We discuss the nominations that excite us most.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Produced by: Sneha Harikannan, Dashran Yohan, Lim Sue Ann, Alia Zefri

Presented by: Lee Chwi Lynn, Dashran Yohan

This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories: politics, government, international, environment, film, culture, managing disease, health policy

Tags: planetary alignment, water, data centres, gaza, gaza ceasfire, israel-gaza conflict, cervical cancer, vaccine, vaccine roll-out, astronomy, oscars, oscars nominations,

Today’s Shows

6:00 AM

The 6AM Stretch

Thought-provoking discussions on ideas, people and events shaping our lives.

7:00 AM

World Market Watch

Dilin Wu, Research Strategist, Pepperstone tells us where international markets are heading.

7:15 AM

Morning Brief

We recap global and local headlines from today's papers and portals.

7:30 AM

Morning Brief

Julia Sinitsky, Country Risk Analyst, BMI, a Fitch Solutions company, discusses the geopolitical stakes for Venezuela and other countries.

7:45 AM

Morning Brief

Chin Chee Seong, National President of the SME Association of Malaysia, discusses the postponement of e-invoicing requirements for SMEs with sales between RM1mil and RM5mil a year.

8:00 AM

The Breakfast Grille

Afzan Lutfi, General Manager of Bolt Malaysia, returns to discuss the changes to, and cost of, ride hailing business in Malaysia.

8:30 AM

Morning Brief

Dr James Dorsey, Adjunct Senior Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies talks about the protests going on in Iran.

8:45 AM

Morning Brief

(REPEAT) Conor Beakey, Head of Latin America Country Risk at BMI, a Fitch Solutions company, discusses the geopolitical stakes for Venezuela and other countries.

9:00 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) Dilin Wu, Research Strategist, Pepperstone tells us where international markets are heading.

9:15 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) Adrian Loh, Head Of Research, UOB Kay Hian Singapore gives us an outlook on Singapore equities, and strategies investors should be focusing on.

9:35 AM

The Property Show

Dr Chua Yangliang, Head of Research and Consultancy for Southeast Asia at JLL, and Jamie Tan, Managing Director and Head of Valuation and Risk Advisory at JLL Malaysia, discusses the outlook for Malaysia's property market in 2026.

10:05 AM

Open For Business

Private Credit: Necessary Capital or Shadow Banking Bubble? Helicap’s David Z Wang discusses connecting global investors to private debt in SEA amidst a $1.7T global industry boom and the recent collapse of major borrowers like First Brands.

11:00 AM

The Workplace

2026 Salary Outlook: Why a 4.8% Raise Might Not Be Enough. Aon’s Rahul Chawla breaks down why 61% of optimistic firms aren't hiring and how to manage an 18.2% attrition rate in the digital age.

12:00 PM

Enterprise Explores

State of SMEs: Surviving the "Second China Shock." SAMENTA’s Dato’ William Ng reviews a defensive 2025 and why mid-sized firms must pivot from "middlemen" to brand owners to thrive in 2026.

1:00 PM

The Breakfast Grille Repeat

Afzan Lutfi, General Manager of Bolt Malaysia, returns to discuss the changes to, and cost of, ride hailing business in Malaysia

2:05 PM

Discovery Hour

An eclectic selection of BBC shows, curated with variety in mind.

3:05 PM

Earth Matters

4:05 PM

Health & Living

How will children and parents cope with new fears over school violence, social media and mental health in the new year? A psychologist shares tips on how parents can have regular emotional check-ins with their kids.

5:00 PM

Top 5 at 5

A countdown of the 5 biggest stories of the day, to catch you up on all you need to know!

6:00 PM

Big Issue

With TIME Magazine voting AI as their 'Person of the Year' of 2025, we discuss whether the past year has been a turning point for AI, and what 2026 will bring in terms of technological, economical and ethical breakthoughs.

7:00 PM

Stories of KL

We interview Naylisa Husni and Asirah Abdul, the founders of Touch Grass, the community movement all about ditching our phones and reconnecting with nature and each other.

8:00 PM

Cruise Control

We kick off the first episode of this year with Daniel's thoughts on the iCaur V23, an EV that, according to him, is simply awesome.

PROGRAMMES