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KUALA LUMPURTHE Klang Valley is heading towards a major crisis worse than the 1998 water shortage, which affected seven districts and 1.8 million people over six months. Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya Water Association vice-president Aldric Loong Kim Yew said water reserve levels were nearing zero because of prolonged spells of
hot and dry weather. According to the most recent data by Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas), the average water demand in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya has risen to 4,364 million litres per day — close to the water treatment plants’ maximum operating and distribution capacity of 4,371 million litres per day. “This shows that there is near-zero reserve capacity to cater for any rise in water demand, particularly during peak periods. “Very low levels during peak demand will mean our treated water reservoirs cannot be replenished during off-peak demand periods, as they would have been under normal circumstances,” Loong said in a statement yesterday. He said the situation was set to worsen for consumers if the stalemate between the Selangor government and water suppliers remained unresolved. He criticised the Selangor government’s assertions that dams in the state were full and consumers would not face water shortages. “The state government is obviously confused. It is referring to the seven dams in Selangor which act to store surface water or raw water, when Syabas is referring to the reservoirs storing treated water for supply to consumers.”
Loong also said the Selangor government had no expertise to take over the state’s water supply as the entire operation had been privatised. “At the very least, they owe a duty to the citizens of the state to listen to the authorities and operators who know of the true situation and to act responsibly in the interests of consumers.” Syabas said 134 areas were expected to experience water disruptions this week, including 86 areas in Shah Alam, Klang and Hulu Langat. Consumers who need water supply through tankers or wish to get more information on disruptions can contact the Puspel customer service centre at 1-800-88-5252 or SMS by typing Puspel complaints/inquiry and send to 39222. They can also lodge complaints by typing “puspel” or “puspel syabas” on Facebook and Twitter. | 
Post time 30-6-2012 03:15 PM
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