Selangor did not draw water from the contaminated pond Santiago sampled

A Selangor Pakatan MP has been told by the state government that water samples he had extracted from a disused mining pond and claimed was contaminated was not used by the state water authorities to overcome water shortage.

The state exco in charge of youth, sports, infrastructure and public utilities said DAP MP Charles Santiago (pic) had sourced the samples from the ponds in Bistari Jaya, but none of them were used by the Selangor government.

“He has taken his sample from a different pond. We have pumped water from nine ponds into the river for treatment and consumption. We would never use contaminated water,” he said at a press conference today.

His clarification comes as Santiago had threatened to take the Selangor government to court if it failed to make public findings proving that water in the state is safe for consumption.

Selangor was forced to source water from former mining ponds as water in the state’s dams decreased to dangerous levels following dry spells caused by climate change.

Santiago had expressed his dismay with the state government over his complaints about contaminated water from the pond being pumped into rivers.

"Until today, I have heard the repeated mantra that the water tested was negative. However, there is not a shred of evidence.”

"I am giving them two weeks from today or I will go to court to get them to reveal the study in the interest of public health, good governance and transparency," he told a press conference at the Parliament lobby yesterday.

Santiago said studies by researchers from Universiti Malaya had revealed a high presence of arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, zinc and tin in the ponds, which can contribute to cancer, kidney disease, neurotic disorder, anemia, lung scarring and diabetes.

The state had previously said there was rat poison in the water, which Santiago was not worried about as it could be treated.

However, one of the studies by the university, which was published in international journals, revealed that arsenic levels in Bestari Jaya are at 8.8%, chromium (12.9%), copper (17.4%), lead (19.5%), zinc (14.9%) and tin (33.85) – levels which exceed permissible limits set by the Malaysian National Water Quality Standards.

Another study showed that soil, plants and fishes in the area were exposed to high levels of heavy metals.

"The water from disused mining ponds will be hazardous to health and it would end up contaminating Sungai Selangor. The water from your pipes will be filled with heavy metals which the treatment plants are not equipped to clean," he said, adding that Selangor's plan to utilise the disused mining ponds is flawed and dangerous.

- TMI