Selangor to heed Sultan’s order not to politicise water issue
SHAH ALAM, May 9 — The state government will abide by the order of the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, not to politicise the water issue in the interest of the people and development in the state.
Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim (picture) said the state government respected the Sultan’s statement on the water issue and would use his views as a guideline to enhance the effectiveness of the state’s administration.
With that, he hoped the state’s water industry restructuring could be completed as provided for under the Water Services Industry Act 2006 which allowed the state government to take over water management.
He was speaking to reporters after chairing a state executive council meeting, here, today.
He hoped that Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui would use his ministerial power under the Act to ensure that the water concessionaire would agree to the state government’s water industry restructuring plan.
Abdul Khalid said before this, the state government had offered to resolve the issue through international arbitration so as to be fair to all quarters and the concessionaire should not have problems in accepting the offer which he deemed reasonable.
In Putrajaya, meanwhile, Agriculture and Agro-based industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar said it was feared that about 70 per cent of new housing projects in Selangor might not be able to be implemented because of the worsening water crisis in the state.
Noh, who is also Selangor Umno Liaison Commitee chairman, said this would cause problems to the people and losses to the state.
“Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) only supplies water and not water treatment plants,” he told a press conference in response to the Sultan’s statement on not to politicise the water issue as a water crisis could adversely affect the state if investors decided to invest somewhere else.
“That is why I support the Sultan’s suggestion because Selangor will lose if development is hampered by a water crisis.”
Noh said that due to the state government’s refusal to agree to the Langat 2 Water Treatment Plant project, 129 manufacturing projects in Selangor offering more than 12,000 jobs might not be implemented.
“Due to insufficient water supply, construction of the plants could not start, hence the state government has lost investments worth RM3.8 billion,” he said. — Bernama
