KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 — Selangor Umno deputy chief Datuk Seri Noh Omar today warned the state government not to wait for a water crisis to happen before planning for additional supply.
Noh told reporters that by dismissing the need for supply from Pahang, the Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim was risking the future of the state.
“It looks like the Selangor government gives more priority to politics than the interest of the people of Selangor,” said the agriculture and agro-based minister.
“The BN federal government looks at the future; that was why we allocated RM2 billion for [a] treatment plan to treat water sourced from Pahang he added,” he added.
Putrajaya had approved the Pahang-Selangor water transfer project under the Ninth Malaysia Plan to meet future water demands in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, and construction began in April this year.
Khalid insisted that there would be sufficient water supply to meet the demands of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur consumers up to the year 2019, based on expert consultations and their calculations of population growth rate, past and present water consumption rates, current production capacity, and water levels in the dams.
He also cautioned against pushing through a large, lucrative contract like the Pahang-Selangor water transfer, saying that it that would incur further national debt, and recommended instead that the project be implemented in 2016.
“If he insists that there is enough water, please name the consultant. Do not talk without proof,” said Noh.
“I’m warning the Selangor government not to gamble the state’s future. When we have run out of water, not only PKR will suffer but everyone will be affected. Investors will stop coming,” he added.
Khalid had also suggested four alternatives to meet growing water demands instead of the costly Pahang-Selangor water transfer project.
He called for an increased promotion of water recycling, including rainwater harvesting; the exploration of alternative sources of water, such as water from rivers and lakes; and underground water technologies.
Khalid also cited the need to reduce the current high non-revenue water (NRW) rate from 35 per cent to below 20 per cent, and to improve the inter-connectivity of water supply by ensuring a more efficient water transfer from the northern to the southern region of Selangor.
