S’gor govt launches first of four phase scheme to reduce water disruption due to pollution

Selangor infrastructure and agriculture committee chairman Izham Hashim (in blue shirt) checking the newly completed Rantau Panjang Pump House in Bestari Jaya, Kuala Selangor.-CHAN TAK KONG/The Star

KUALA SELANGOR: The Selangor government will be undertaking a study for a water master plan (pelan induk air) to look into all water-related matters in Selangor, including flood and raw water management.

“One of the things we are looking into is an underground flood management system,” said Selangor infrastructure and agriculture committee chairman Izham Hashim.

“This was following my working trip to two cities in Japan, where wastewater from domestic usage and rainwater is channelled underground and away from the cities to prevent floods.”

Izham said the study for the plan, to be started in January 2025, would also look into a comprehensive water and flood management plan that involves both Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, as water from the capital city flows through Selangor before reaching the sea.

He said this at the handover ceremony for the Rantau Panjang Pump House in Bestari Jaya, Kuala Selangor.

The facility, also called a pumping station, was built under Package B of the Water Resources Assurance Scheme (Skim Jaminan Air Mentah or SJAM) Project.

The Rantau Panjang Pump House was handed over by consultant SMHB Sdn Bhd and contractor to the Selangor government, which in turn handed it over to Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd.

Construction of the Rantau Panjang Pump House started on Dec 20, 2021 and was handed over on Oct 26, 2024.

The pump house linked to Hang Tuah 5 Pond was built to minimise impact when the Rantau Panjang Water Treatment Plant (WTP) was closed due to the pollution of raw water in Sungai Selangor.

The pumping station has a capacity of supplying 40 million litres per day (MLD) of raw water, directly from the Hang Tuah 5 Pond to the new and old Rantau Panjang WTP intake points, using 600mm-diameter mild steel cement lined pipes across Sungai Selangor via a 72m-long steel bridge.

The Hang Tuah Pond is expected to supply raw water to the Rantau Panjang WTP for about 60 days.

SJAM comprises four packages and costs RM320mil in total.

Izham said SJAM is a state-wide programme to ensure uninterrupted water supply, especially when there is a pollution incident.

If there is an interruption to the water supply (linked to a WTP) because of pollution, the SJAM system will allow the authorities to close the water intake from the river so the polluted water will be diverted away to the sea, while water from a series of interconnected ponds will be used as an alternative source instead.

Also present were Selangor Deputy State Secretary (Management) Datuk Mohd Yazid Sairi, Air Selangor chief executive officer Adam Saffian Ghazali and State Economic Planning Unit Macro and Privatisation Section deputy director Hamizam Abdulla Zabidi.