JOHOR still needs treated water from Singapore due to the rapid expansion of industrial sectors in the state, says the Deputy Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister.
Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said despite Johor’s efforts to achieve water self-sufficiency, the goal will only be achieved after 2030.
“To mitigate this dependency (on Singapore’s treated water), the government has implemented the zero-dependency project, which includes constructing the water retention infrastructure along the Johor River (Sungai Lebak), building a barrage at Sungai Sedili Besar, and developing new water treatment plants like Layang 2 and Semangar 3.
“These initiatives are designed to increase both the raw and treated water capacities, aiming to secure Johor’s water needs independently in the long term,” he said when responding to Hassan Abdul Karim (PH-Pasir Gudang).
Hassan had asked the ministry to state whether the government will hold talks with Singapore to review the Johor River Agreement 1962.
Akmal Nasrullah said that following a discussion with Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi in October, the government concluded that there is currently no need to renegotiate the raw water rate.
He added that under the agreement, Singapore is permitted to extract up to 250 million gallons per day (MGD) of raw water from the Johor River at 3sen per 1,000 gallons, while Johor buys treated water from the republic at 50sen per 1,000 gallons.
“According to records from the Regulatory Body for Water in Johor (Bakaj), Johor’s current consumption of treated water stands at an average of 16MGD – well above the 5MGD provided for in the agreement, resulting in additional annual costs of about RM180,000,” the deputy minister said.
He added that Johor still benefited from the agreement as the cost to buy treated water from the republic is cheaper than treating the water domestically.
“The average cost to treat a similar volume of water daily would cost us RM1.80. Therefore, there is a reciprocal benefit for us as we only buy the treated water from Singapore at the cost of 50sen,” he said when answering a supplementary question by Datuk Abdul Khalib Abdullah (PN-Rompin).
On July 16, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the government was reviewing the agreement related to the sale of raw water to Singapore.
