Pahang-Selangor raw water transfer project almost complete

BENTONG: The Pahang-Selangor Raw Water Transfer Project is expected to be fully completed on Dec 20, said Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili.

The project, comprising four components or packages – raw water tunnel, Kelau Dam, Semantan River intake and pumphouse and twin pipeline – was 96% complete, he added.

“In early August, as a trial, we will channel some 500 million litres a day into Sungai Langat, which has three water treatment plants,” he told reporters after visiting the project site here yesterday.

Dr Ongkili said the trial was a move to increase the water in the river because the country was expected to experience a dry spell from June due to the El Nino effect.

When complete, the project will have the capacity to channel 1.89 billion litres of water a day from Pahang to Selangor to meet the needs of consumers in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya up to 2025.

Asked about the ministry’s preparations to face the effects of El Nino, Ongkili said a national-level committee had been set up headed by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

“The committee, comprising 10 ministers and representatives from state governments, will meet in two weeks to seek effective ways to handle the effects of El Nino, particularly on the agriculture and water sectors,” he said.

He urged residents to start conserving water as Sungai Langat only contributed 15% of the water needed in Selangor.

Ongkili also said the Cabinet was studying a proposal mooted by Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor to take control of the water assets in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

However, he said it would not be easy as the supply lines would have to pass through Selangor.