“Water, water, every where; Nor any drop to drink” – hear ye! hear ye! S’gor state govt
Residents from Taman Bukit Teratai, Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, using pails and other containers to collect water from a Syabas tanker. – By NORAFIFI EHSAN/THE STAR
MCA HQ, 31 July – "Water, water, every where; Nor any drop to drink"; those immortal lines from Rime from the Ancient Mariner by 19th century poet Samuel William Coleridge just about sum up the predicament that the Selangor state government has found itself in as MCA President Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek warns of an impending water crisis in 2 months after being briefed by water experts together with other members of the MCA Presidential Council.
In order to prevent the briefing from being politicized, MCA had sought the views of impartial groups who had requested that their names be kept from the public as it might jeopardize their livelihood, and not from Selangor water-concessionaire Syabas or representatives of the Selangor state government.
According to the MCA President, a sizable number of experts and professionals had attended the briefing and what they had to say does not bode well for Selangor. "In 2008, they had already predicted that within 5 years there will be a water shortage in Selangor based on the growth, the increase in consumption and the ability of the 34 water treatment plants to supply," said Soi Lek, while driving home the point that their predictions were indeed coming true today.
Selangor lacked initiative, foresight to prevent crisis
He also explained that the professionals had revealed that the 34 water treatment plants were overworked, producing more than their normal capacity and that worse of all, the Selangor state government had neglected to allocate any capital expenditure to repair or upgrade the existing water plants for the past 4 years.
"When you collect water, it goes to the treatment plant and distributed to the piping system. When demand is high, the pumps have to be overworked to be able to supply. What is worse, the Selangor government did not approved of any capital expenditure to replace pipes which are old and leaky," he said.
Running low: Syabas employee Johari Pawanchik (inset) showing the level at which the water would be at a supply centre in Hulu Langat but it is now at very low levels with demand reaching new heights. — LOW BOON TAT/ The Star
"The end result is that while consumption is increasing, the supply of treated water is not keeping up with the consumption," said Soi Lek, adding that as water reserves at all plants now stood between 1% to 3% instead of the safe 20%. "The professionals have warned of a crisis in 2 months, with high density areas such as Petaling Jaya, Hulu Langat and Kuala Lumpur being affected first. "
Explaining that 20% was the normal safety margin to cope with the dry weather, Soi Lek succinctly quipped, "in other words, if there is no rain in 2 weeks, we are in trouble."
Water is not a game to be politicized for one's personal ambitions
"Today, we urge Pakatan Selangor, please do not play politics with water issues. It will affect 7 to 8 million people. It will affect the social-economic development of Selangor, and it will drive off investors that we cannot even manage water," warned Soi Lek, explaining that MCA supports any initiative which will ensure the continued supply of treated water to the citizens of Selangor. "We do not support the water issue being politicized," he added.
In reply to Selangor Menteri Besar's claims that they will be allocating RM 1billion to upgrade the plants, Soi Lek rebutted by saying that this was why MCA had invited professionals and not Syabas or the Selangor government to brief them. Refuting the claims by Selangor of an 11% water reserve, Soi Lek said "if this was true there was no reason why some places are still facing water shortage during this rainy season. This means, that some water treatment plants are unable to meet the demand," explained Soi Lek.
Lambasting the Pakatan-led Selangor government for their propaganda efforts in showing dams filled to the brim with water, Soi Lek said the professionals felt that it was a wrong move as what they were showing is untreated water. "When it is raining, it is full. That is untreated water. If Selangor citizens wanted to drink untreated water, they can put a tong in front of their house," the President said.
Jobs at stake if identity divulged
To a reporter's question on the identity of the water experts, Soi Lek in his typical style replied that they are "experts who know more and more about less and less", drawing chuckles from the media personnel gathered. "They know a lot about water. They don't want to be named because they are working for the Selangor government, Syabas and the private sector. Their bosses may not be happy. This country is so politically charged. Some will come out, some will not.
When pressed to name the NGOs, Soi Lek pointed out that he cannot renege on his word he gave to the water experts to keep their identity anonymous. "If I tell u, they will say I didn't honour and (after which) nobody will come to brief us." When pressed further on their identities or the number of NGOs who briefed MCA, Soi Lek let on that the experts were "several people working in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur…the number of NGOs were a sizeable number of people – significant enough to make sure that what is given to us is verified by others. We have to respect that they don't want to be disclosed."
-MCA online-
Read More @ SourceMore » Bonology.com | Pakatan Rakyat (PR) | Sociopolitics Plus | 大马社会政治
Comments