Syabas should stop blaming others and do its duty

WE have, over the past year or so, been reading reports of a looming water crisis in Selangor.

What amazes me is that such a basic necessity such as the provision of potable water supply to tax-paying citizens can be so easily manipulated.

Why don’t our politicians — both government and opposition alike — come to their senses and stop bickering over this issue?

If there is anyone at fault in this continuing saga, I have to put the blame solely on the water concessionaire Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas).

This company and its holding company Puncak Niaga Holding Berhad has been enjoying virtual immunity in supplying water and collecting revenue from water users in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur via a concession agreement signed between itself and the federal government many years ago.

What are the actual “value added” services that Syabas is giving to consumers?

How badly did its predecessors Jabatan Bekalan Air Selangor (JBAS) and Perbadanan Urus Air Selangor (PUAS) fare?

I believe Syabas should stop blaming other parties and prove its worth in raising the necessary funds to develop its water supply capability.

It should concentrate on bringing down the non-revenue water (NRW) to an appreciable level so that wastage amounting to about 40 per cent is a thing of the past. Syabas should not have its senior officers handing out treated water to consumers as though they are doing a charitable job.

It is their contractual duty to supply clean, adequate and safe water to all consumers in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.

We don’t need to see its officers parading themselves as though they are doing us a favour!

What is the effect of the Pahang-Selangor water transfer project that is supposed to benefit the people?

What happened to the construction of the Langat 2 water treatment plant?

I would like to appeal to everyone to stop bickering, not to politicise the water issue in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur and in turn concentrate on performing your basic duty, that is to serve us rakyat better.

By doing so, I would expect clean, safe and adequate potable water as a matter of course.

-mmail.com