Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) has been taken to task for sitting on its laurels and expecting the weather to resolve the current water shortage in Selangor.
This was today described by PKR as “a constant political ploy” against Pakatan Rakyat.
"It appears as if this political attack in the form of water disruption has gone on continuously in Selangor since 2008, until the situation has become serious.
"But every time when we scrutinise the situation we find that it is due to the weaknesses of Syabas, which refuses to be proactive in helping the rakyat and is only keen on blaming nature," PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli told a press conference in Kajang today.
Rafizi took issue with the current water shortage in Balakong, Cheras and Pandan, which Syabas attributed to the dry spell.
He explained that the water shortage was not due to a lack of raw water to process but because Syabas had, since Jan 28, shut down two of it water treatment plants, in Batu 11 and in Bukit Tampoi, which supply water to Balakong and Cheras.
The diversion of water from Pandan to cover these areas also meant that Pandan was similarly affected, he added.
Rafizi, who is also Pandan MP, said Syabas had shut down the water treatment plants as it was incapable of treating raw water, in which the ammonia concentration was over 1.5 mg/litre, with the ammonia concentration having gone over this level due to the dry weather.
"The fact is that equipment to process water with higher concentration of ammonia only costws about RM500,000 and Syabas could have installed these weeks ago, before the problem arose now.
"If Syabas can afford to pay its chief executive officer RM600,000 a month, why couldn’t it obtain the necessary equipment?" Rafizi asked.
'Water woes only in Selangor'
He also took Syabas to task for failing to prepare enough water tankers, despite moving to ration water due to the shortage.
He said the nine tankers that make four trips a day to supply water to the people are insufficient and called on Syabas to accept the blame for failing to keep up with demand and for not updating its infrastructure.
"Other states are also facing a lack of rain, but why are the people there not facing water problems? Why is it only in Selangor?" Rafuzu asked.
Meanwhile, Selangor state executive councillor Elizabeth Wong (left) urged Syabas to restart the water treatment plants despite the higher ammonia levels, even though the situation wasn't ideal.
“We cannot wait for rain to dilute the ammonia concentration because the Meteorological Department has forecast that rain will only come in the middle of March.
“We have discussed with doctors and they said the water is safe (to be processed and consumed), so long as it is boiled,” Wong said.
She said that any further delay in the restarting of the water treatment plant and waiting for rain would risk creating sanitation problems for the people.
This was today described by PKR as “a constant political ploy” against Pakatan Rakyat.
"It appears as if this political attack in the form of water disruption has gone on continuously in Selangor since 2008, until the situation has become serious.
"But every time when we scrutinise the situation we find that it is due to the weaknesses of Syabas, which refuses to be proactive in helping the rakyat and is only keen on blaming nature," PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli told a press conference in Kajang today.Rafizi took issue with the current water shortage in Balakong, Cheras and Pandan, which Syabas attributed to the dry spell.
He explained that the water shortage was not due to a lack of raw water to process but because Syabas had, since Jan 28, shut down two of it water treatment plants, in Batu 11 and in Bukit Tampoi, which supply water to Balakong and Cheras.
The diversion of water from Pandan to cover these areas also meant that Pandan was similarly affected, he added.
Rafizi, who is also Pandan MP, said Syabas had shut down the water treatment plants as it was incapable of treating raw water, in which the ammonia concentration was over 1.5 mg/litre, with the ammonia concentration having gone over this level due to the dry weather.
"The fact is that equipment to process water with higher concentration of ammonia only costws about RM500,000 and Syabas could have installed these weeks ago, before the problem arose now.
"If Syabas can afford to pay its chief executive officer RM600,000 a month, why couldn’t it obtain the necessary equipment?" Rafizi asked.
'Water woes only in Selangor'
He also took Syabas to task for failing to prepare enough water tankers, despite moving to ration water due to the shortage.
He said the nine tankers that make four trips a day to supply water to the people are insufficient and called on Syabas to accept the blame for failing to keep up with demand and for not updating its infrastructure.
"Other states are also facing a lack of rain, but why are the people there not facing water problems? Why is it only in Selangor?" Rafuzu asked.
Meanwhile, Selangor state executive councillor Elizabeth Wong (left) urged Syabas to restart the water treatment plants despite the higher ammonia levels, even though the situation wasn't ideal.“We cannot wait for rain to dilute the ammonia concentration because the Meteorological Department has forecast that rain will only come in the middle of March.
“We have discussed with doctors and they said the water is safe (to be processed and consumed), so long as it is boiled,” Wong said.
She said that any further delay in the restarting of the water treatment plant and waiting for rain would risk creating sanitation problems for the people.
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