36 hours before water supply returns, says Air Selangor

 

There is no more odour pollution at the Sungai Semenyih water treatment plant but it will be 14 hours before it can resume operations, says Air Selangor. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: No more odour pollution is being detected at the Sungai Semenyih water treatment plant but it will take around 36 hours before supply in affected areas resumes, says Air Selangor.

In a statement, its head of corporate communications Elina Baseri said the Sungai Semenyih water treatment plant was ready to resume operations after reading zero TON (threshold odour number) three times in a row as of 8pm.

However, she said, the water treatment system must first go through a cleaning process before it may resume treating and distributing treated water to users.

“The cleaning process and water treatment at the plant will take around 14 hours. Therefore, Air Selangor will share the recovery plan for affected areas in a media release tomorrow morning at 7am.

“Following the shutdown of the plant, 463 areas in five Air Selangor districts, namely Petaling, Hulu Langat, Sepang, Putrajaya and Kuala Langat, will receive water supply within 36 hours,” she said.

To minimise the impact on users, she said alternative water supply has been channelled to some parts of Hulu Langat and Kuala Langat through the Langat 2 and Labohan Dagang water plants.

Users in Kajang Baru, Kajang, Semenyih and Beranang in Hulu Langat as well as Jenjarom, Teluk Panglima Garang and Pulau Carey in Kuala Langat will benefit from this.

Meanwhile, Air Selangor has mobilised emergency water supply to users and critical premises, with 94 water tankers mobilised to affected areas.

“Air Selangor understands that users need clean running water especially with the surge in Covid-19 cases.

“Hence, Air Selangor is working with the Selangor Water Management Authority (LUAS) to identify the cause of the water pollution along Sungai Semenyih and other tributaries around it.”

The Sungai Semenyih water treatment plant was shut down at 11.10am after odour pollution was detected at the Jenderam Hilir raw water pump station.

Some 172 areas in Petaling, 194 in Sepang, 54 in Hulu Langat, 23 in Putrajaya and 20 in Kuala Langat have been affected by the water disruption on Merdeka Day.

Among the areas affected include Serdang Hospital and Universiti Putra Malaysia Hospital (HUPM) as well as the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) low-risk quarantine and treatment centre. - FMT