Azmin won’t work with Noh on water

MB will resolve issues with Government

SELANGOR Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azmin Ali took a swipe at Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar when he raised the ongoing Selangor water supply disruptions.

Azmin said he appreciated the efforts of Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar to hold discussions with the state government on solving the problem.

“I will work with him to resolve the issue. But I will not work with Tanjung Karang (Noh Omar). I will fight him (Noh) until the very end as he has politicised the water supply issue,” he added.

An irate Noh accused Azmin of corruption, but Azmin ignored him and continued with his speech.

Azmin said the ministry also agreed to accept the analysis of river water samples which will be used as evidence against the culprits involved in the contamination at Sungai Semenyih water treatment plant.

During a briefing at the special chambers, Selangor state exco member Elizabeth Wong said there were still traces of contamination in Sungai Semenyih.

The contamination levels requires the water to be diluted four times before it stops emitting any odour.

The analysis revealed that the pollutant in the water was a highly poisonous substance called 4-Bromo Diphenyl Ether.

It is used as a flame retardant in the housings of electrical and electronic equipment.

“It is highly poisonous and that is why dead fish were found floating nearby in Sungai Buah,” she said, adding that the source of contamination had originated from a drainage system in Nilai which flowed into Sungai Buah.

Wong, who is in charge environmental affairs, said water samples from Sungai Buah still emitted a strong smell and the toxicity there was quite high.

The water at the source of the contamination has to be diluted 20 times for it to be odour free.

She said the Department of Environment was asked to pump out the contaminated water from the river there and store it in bunds.