People in Selangor have a clear option to avoid
a water crisis by voting wisely in the coming election for a government that will
run the state efficiently in the next five years, says Energy, Green Technology
and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin.
He alleged that the obstructionist policies of the Pakatan
Rakyat-led state government for the last five years had almost frustrated
efforts by the federal
government to ensure adequate water supply to Selangor, the
country's premier economic region and fastest growing state, as well as Kuala
Lumpur and Putrajaya.
"So if you ask me, what can the people of Selangor do to end
all the uncertainties about the security of their water, my advice is this --
they have to be wise in voting for the government that will run the state.
They
must take this water issue seriously. Do they want a government that does
nothing except to politicise this issue and to continue to deny that there is a
water shortage?" Chin said in an interview with Bernama.
He criticised the Selangor government for coming out with all
sorts of unreasonable and ridiculous arguments to block projects undertaken by
the federal government to ensure the long-term water security.
The most glaring among this was its opposition to granting the
development order for the Langat 2 water treatment plant which is a vital
component for the raw water transfer project from Pahang that was already over
70 percent
completed, Chin said.
"So, what is wrong in having this project?" he asked.
"They (Selangor state government) even accused us of awarding
this project to our cronies. But we are implementing it in a transparent manner
via open
tender. So to the voters of Selangor, please think hard. You can
solve this problem once and for all at the ballot box. And the federal
government has made a final decision to go ahead with the Langat 2 project in
the national
interest," Chin stressed.
He said the conflicting signals given by the current Selangor
government on
water only added to more confusion. For example, it kept on
denying there was a water shortage but at the same time it had agreed to the
implementation of several mitigation projects.
The federal government had to agree to these mitigation projects
to avoid a water crisis in the short-term but these were only stop-gap measures
to meet the demand only from 2014 to 2016 because in the long-term, Langat 2
was the only solution.
"That is why we have already decided we will go ahead with
the project. We will award the tender," he said.
According to Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Air Negara (SPAN) or the
National Water Services Commission, without Langat 2, water reserves from 2016
would only be around 0.5 percent or 26 million litres "which is nothing
because even one housing project needs two to three million litres,", Chin
said.
""So how long can 26 million (litres) last? By 2017, we are talking about a deficit of 2.9
percent if there are no other sources even with mitigation projects in place,
plus whatever we have now. And in terms of absolute figure, it's 146 million
litres (equivalent) of water shortage.
"And then by 2018, it's going to be worse again, hitting 6.6
percent shortage. So if you go on, by 2020 if there are no other sources and
without Langat 2, (this would be) over 14 percent deficit. Now (with) this 14
percent deficit, who will be hit? Your house? My house? (Selangor menteri
besar) Tan Sri Khalid's (Ibrahim) house? Or the prime minister's (Datuk Seri
Najib Razak) house?
"We will be forced to ration water. Are we prepared for water
rationing? So there is absolutely no reason why anyone should oppose Langat
2," Chin said.
Chin said he was only hoping for Khalid to use common sense in
tackling the
water issue.
He said SPAN, as the ultimate water authority in the country,
could not continue to approve new development projects that could come on
stream within the next two or three years if there was not enough water to go
by.
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