Ministry denies ‘political attack’ over Selangor water

The Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry secretary-general Zaini Ujang has stressed that no political party instructed him to “attack” the Selangor government over the issue of water reserve margin in the state.

Zaini also said that the allegations by Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali about him as reported in the media recently were baseless, as his statement was guided by facts.

“I am not a politician and I was not instructed by anyone to make a statement on the water issue. I am also not contesting in the general election,” he said after launching a new outlet of a McDonald’s chain in Setia Alam today.

Recently, it was reported in the media that Mohamed Azmin  Ali had claimed that Zaini’s statement on the water reserve margin in Selangor had a political motive in view of the looming 14th general election.

According to Zaini, the water crisis in Selangor could be resolved if the state government immediately undertook a migration process of the water treatment plants, as the ministry suggested.

Zaini said the Bukit Badong Sungai Selangor Phase 3 (SSP3) Water Treatment Plant was currently operating beyond capacity and the migration process was needed to avoid a worse water crisis in Selangor.

“The analogy is, if a taxi usually operates 10 hours a day, but now has to work for 16 hours to increase the driver’s income, and this is done for five years, what are the implications?

“If this situation is applied to the LRA which now operates on a higher capacity than set by the original design, there will be damage. So, it is crucial that the migration process be immediately carried out,” he said.

On March 12, Zaini was reported as saying that he was giving the Selangor government four months until July to agree to the migration process to avoid a worse water crisis in the state.

He said if the Selangor government refused to make a decision, there would be serious implications, including on the Langat 2 LRA which had undergone testing and commissioning process but had yet to come on stream.

- Bernama