WASTE AND EFFLUENT MANAGEMENT WATER CONSUMPTION As a healthcare REIT, the Manager is conversant of the potential hazards arising from waste generated by medical institutions. Hospitals manage medical waste, including proper identification, labelling, storage and transportation. Comprised of pathogenic wastes, clinical wastes or quarantined materials, SW404 is treated in compliance with DOE guidelines, while non-clinical waste is disposed of at licensed facilities. Implementing stringent waste management practices is imperative to safeguard against both environmental and health risks for the community at large. Water is fundamental to sustaining life and supporting human health, and its management is becoming increasingly significant as global populations grow and climate patterns shift. Efficient water management is important to alleviate water scarcity concerns and is essential for guaranteeing a sustainable future. OUR APPROACH OUR APPROACH OUR PERFORMANCE While we do not monitor the waste generated within the Fund’s property portfolio or HQ, the Manager is committed to upholding waste management practices in alignment with relevant regulations. In particular, the Maintenance Manager ensures that each hospital conducts waste management procedures in adherence to the standards set within the Environmental Quality Act 1974, the National Water Services Commission Act 2006 (ACT 654) and the Water Services Industry Act 2006. The Manager is strategically planning to integrate AI-based Reverse Vending Technology across eight KPJ hospitals, an innovative vending machine that is equipped to accept both PET bottles and aluminium cans through a unified chute. The Fund’s headquarters is situated in an office space that is not directly controlled by the Manager. Hence, our water consumption is only included in our monthly rental fees. Acknowledging the emerging risks of water scarcity and our commitment to addressing this issue, the Fund continues to actively promote heightened awareness of responsible water use to minimise wastage of this vital resource. The quantity of water consumption at the headquarters is not actively monitored, but we track the water consumption of 22 leased healthcare buildings. In FY2023, the recorded water consumption was 1,236 megaliters, showing a slight increase of 2% from the previous year. ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP TOTAL WATER CONSUMPTION (ML) FY2021 FY2022 FY2023 1,240 1,212 1,164 Note: The total water consumption is inclusive of buildings owned by Al-‘Aqar (Source: Operation Department, Maintenance Manager) 75 SUSTAINABILLITY STATEMENTS 1 2 4 5 6 AL-`AQAR HEALTHCARE REIT ANNUAL REPORT 2023
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDgzMzc=