Take action against Air Selangor over water cuts, Fomca tells SPAN

 

Fomca president Marimuthu Nadason said Air Selangor should invest a portion of its profits into contingency planning, rather than relying solely on water tankers during disruptions.

PETALING JAYA: 

A consumer group has called for stringent action against Air Selangor following the recent unscheduled water disruptions in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor due to water pollution at two rivers.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) president Marimuthu Nadason slammed the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) for not holding Air Selangor accountable, which he said led to their lack of caution and urgency.

SPAN must fine Air Selangor so that they will be more cautious. SPAN is not doing much with these water operators now. (The water operators) are taking their own sweet time to fix things,

 he told FMT.

Marimuthu said even though water disruptions had been happening for the past 20 years, SPAN lacked serious contingency plans, especially for hospitals and schools.

We cannot close schools because of (water cuts). I don’t know why they don’t want to learn from past mistakes,

 he said.

Marimuthu said Air Selangor should invest a portion of its profits into contingency planning, rather than relying solely on water tankers during disruptions.

He also advocated for the deployment of the latest technology along major rivers to detect and contain pollution early, and thus prevent water cuts.

We are paying for our water bills. You are not giving us rebates whenever you shutdown (water supply),

 he said.

Marimuthu said it was time the government followed a compensation model similar to what the UK implements during water cuts.

In the UK, if water is not there for more than 24 or 48 hours, they pay (consumers) back. The problem here is that operators take advantage of our weak laws,

 he said.

Odour pollution at Sungai Kundang and Sungai Sembah led to the temporary shutdown of four water treatment plants, resulting in unscheduled water disruptions in hundreds of areas across Kuala Lumpur and Selangor today.

Air Selangor mobilised water tankers to the affected areas of Kuala Lumpur, Petaling, Klang, Shah Alam, Gombak, Hulu Selangor, and Kuala Selangor.

FMT has reached out to SPAN for comment. - FMT