The Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry will not use force to push for the building of the Langat 2 water treatment plant for now, said Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui.
"I prefer that this matter be settled in an amicable manner.
"It has always been my priority to discuss this issue with the Selangor government and I hope we will work something out soon," he told theSun today.
Chin was responding to calls by various parties that the federal government force the Selangor government to build the Langat 2 treatment plant in Bukit Serdang to serve the long-term needs of the state's population.
Water reserve levels in Selangor are at an alarming 3% to 5%, far below the appropriate level of 20%, but Selangor has yet to give the nod to build the plant.
The Langat 2 project, which was approved by the federal government at a cost of RM3.94 billion, is expected to treat around 1.9 billion litres of water for Selangor, Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur until 2025.
It involves the building of a 44.6km tunnel, the largest and longest in Southeast Asia, to channel water from Sungai Semantan in Pahang to Sungai Hulu Langat in Selangor through the main range.
But the project was delayed after the state government, through the local councils, refused to approve the development order.
theSun columnist Azman Ujang, in his column today, said water was not something one could play the fool with, and a crisis would become reality unless politics were set aside and priority given to the needs of the people.
Chin said according to the Selangor government, there were still issues that needed to be sorted out before the plant is built, one of which was the restructuring exercise of the water industry in the state.
"Water reserve levels are already critical at the moment, and as demand grows, the water supply will keep going down.
"We are implementing measures to sustain water supply by increasing water sources and extending pumping of the water, but these measures are only temporary and can last till 2016, after which we will have no more water sources to draw from," he said.
Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor on May 9 urged the state government not to politicise the water issue in the interest of the people and development of the state.
"I do not want the people of my state to suffer the consequences (from a water crisis) as this will tarnish the state's image in the eyes of investors," he said.
In response, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the state government respected the Sultan's statement on the water issue and would use his views as a guideline to enhance the effectiveness of the state's administration.
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