Monday, April 28, 2014

It's safe to drink, Selangor says it again


Selangor has reiterated that water pumped from disused mines to help reverse declining raw water supply at the state's dams is safe for consumption.
              
Selangor executive committee (exco) member Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi said today that tests have been conducted on this new water source and the chemical composition of the water would be publicly disclosed.

"We are always sampling the mine water. If it is not safe, we will inform so but the test conducted so far showed that it is safe," he told a press conference in Shah Alam.

Klang MP Charles Santiago and Malaysia Environment Quality Council chairperson Zaini Ujang  were among those worried about water drawn from the mines. Zaini had warned that it could bring skin diseases. If the state do more than skim the surface of the mines, this may also draw heavy minerals out from the bottom, which could be hazardous to health, he said.

But Ahmad Yunus said that samples taken so far from one such source, the Hang Tuah pool at Bestari Jaya, showed that it met health standards.

“It was negative for Leptospira (rat urine), met our parameters for less than 5,000 MPN (Most Probable Number) for bacteria element, and chemical content was as set by Selangor state health department. Therefore, the water will be put through to Sungai Selangor to help raise water levels to reduce reliance on the release of our dam water,” Ahmad Yunus said in a press statement.

The efforts, along with some rain, have helped Selangor dam levels rise over the last one week.

Six out of seven dams saw its water levels rise by 0.79 to 4.25 percent. Water levels at the biggest state dam, in Sungai Selangor, were up 1.18 percent to 40.08 percent from week before. Water levels at other dams hovered at between 54 to 87 percent levels.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Yunus said that Selangor was due to add 10 more China-made diesel powered pumps. This would mainly be employed at Sungai Selangor dam in Kuala Kubu Bharu to help raise water levels to safe level of 50 percent.

“With the 10 new  pumps, we are confident of achieving this next month,” Ahmad Yunus told the press conference.

The state last week approved a RM10 million budget to buy the pumps and associated infrastructure. This adds to the dam’s nine existing pumps.

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