PKR demands SYABAS compensate victims of dry taps

SYABAS reportedly warned that the outages may continue until after the Chinese New Year. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 10 ― PKR today demanded Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (SYABAS) make reparations to Klang Valley residents suffering from water supply interruptions that may last until February.

Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin today sent a memorandum to SYABAS for its alleged failure in managing Selangor’s water resources.

“Today, PKR together with MPAJ council members will submit a memorandum to SYABAS and carry out discussions with them,” Zuraida said.

The PKR Wanita chief was at the SYABAS headquarters in Pantai Baru at 10.30 am to submit the memorandum and discuss the matter with the company’s chief executive officer, Datuk Ruslan Hassan.

She was accompanied by residents’ groups and Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) members.

“We state six demands to SYABAS and urge them to take the necessary action towards all these demands,” Zuraida said.

PKR wants SYABAS to detail the actual problem with the pump houses and to explain its executive chairman Tan Sri Rozali Ismail’s statement that the water crisis will continue until February.

The other four demands in PKR’s memorandum are for an action plan, a guarantee that the problem will not be repeated, compensation or the setting up of special funds for the crisis, and for SYABAS to give an open apology.

Zuraida was allowed to enter the SYABAS office at 10.45am.

On January 4, Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim reportedly blamed SYABAS for the ongoing water crisis.

The PKR leader said the state government had previously reported the discovery of faulty pumps in Wangsa Maju and Pudu Hulu Baru to SYABAS.

On January 8, Bernama reported that SYABAS expects the water crisis to remain unresolved up until February’s Chinese New Year celebrations.