Selangor water industry stagnant without deal, say concessionaires

SHAH ALAM: The water industry in Selangor will not see any improvement until the Federal and state governments finalise the delayed water restructuring exercise.

Tan Sri Rozali Ismail, executive chairman of water concessionaire companies Puncak Niaga Holdings Berhad and Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor, said they were not able to carry out any work to enhance services due to the delay.

"We need someone to run the water industry without any conditions, constraints or delays.

"At the moment when we want to do a certain project, we are told to wait until the restructuring is over,'' Rozali told a press conference after opening the Water Association of Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya's annual general meeting.

He said if this was allowed to continue, the state's water industry would be badly affected as any improvement or enhancement of services could not be carried out.

The water restructuring agreement between both Selangor and the Federal Government came to a standstill due to dispute over certain landownership rights.

Both Selangor and the Federal Government have until May 11 to renegotiate and seal the deal.

"Do it as soon as possible. The sooner the better, as business must go on,'' said Rozali.

He also said Selangor urgently needed the Langat 2 water treatment plant as the state's water reserve had hit the red zone.

The state's water reserve is currently less than 5% as opposed to the necessary 50% mark.

"We need Langat 2 for additional water supply as our water reserves are very low,'' said Rozali.

Once the plant is operational, raw water will be piped in from Pahang to be treated and channelled to consumers in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.