Special panel to improve care of water sources, curb supply disruptions

CYBERJAYA: A special committee will be set up immediately to gather information, evidence and examine all aspects related to water disruptions due to pollution, says the National Water Services Commission (SPAN).

It took a serious view of the recent odour pollution incident in Sungai Sembah and Sungai Kundang, which resulted in unscheduled water supply disruptions affecting over one million users in seven areas of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur from Tuesday to Thursday (July 23 to 25).

"The committee will propose improvements that can be adopted as best practices by all stakeholders to ensure the sustainability of the water supply.

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"Various groups and government agencies will be directly involved in the data collection process, including the Environment Department (DOE), state raw water resource management bodies, local authorities, and water service operators in the relevant states," it said in a statement on Friday (July 26).

This committee, it added, would be set up immediately and is expected to complete its work within 45 days from the first session.

On the recent incident in Selangor, SPAN said it had opened an investigation paper on Wednesday (July 24) against those identified.

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"This investigation is being conducted under Section 121(1)(c) of the Water Services Industry Act 2006 for the offence of polluting or causing the water supply system to be polluted.

"If convicted, the offender may be imprisoned for a period not exceeding 10 years or fined up to RM500,000.

"SPAN is also committed to ensuring that any misconduct involving clean water and its sources will be dealt with promptly and to ensure that appropriate penalties are imposed on the perpetrators," the statement read.