Minister: Proposal to solve water woes not sustainable

THE Selangor Government’s proposal to increase the capacity of all its 34 water treatment plants for Klang Valley consumers may not be sustainable in the longterm, says Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.

The Energy, Green Technology and Water Deputy Minister said the solution, proposed to solve water woes in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya was not a viable option as all of the water treatment plants were already operating at full capacity.

“If it is carried out, they can only supply clean water to these areas until 2017,” he told Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani (BN-Titiwangsa).

Johari had asked the Government to state the reserve margin of the 34 water treatment plans for consumers in the three states for the next five years.

According to Mahdzir Khalid, the Selangor Government had proposed to increase the production of treated water from 4,606

If it is carried out, they can only supply clean water to these areas until 2017. — DATUK SERI MAHDZIR KHALID

million litres to 4,686 million litres by boosting the capacity of its treatment plants.

“The Federal Government is currently waiting for a reply from our consultants on the best steps to avoid any water crisis in the next 36 months,” he said.

Mahdzir said there were only about 1% of water reserves for Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

“That is way less than the 10% proposed by the National Water Services Commission.”