Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has not ruled out the possibility that the Langat 2 Water Treatment Plant Project (Langat 2) might be continued even without the Selangor government's approval.
He said the government had sought the opinion of the Attorney-General's Chambers whether the National Land Code or the Land Acquisition Act would allow a project considered vital to the national interest to be built without getting the state's approval, falling which it could be detrimental to the country.
"As the A-G's chambers has yet to give its feedbacks, negotiations with the state government are ongoing in order to get them to issue a development order for the construction of Langat 2," he told reporters after attending the state-level 1Malaysia Young Teachers' assembly here today.
Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, said the Klang Valley could face the worst water crisis ever in 2015-20016 if the Langat 2 project was shelved.
"This issue is serious and becoming more serious," he said, adding that currently six or seven out of 34 water treatment plants in Selangor were operating round the clock without stopping.
Muhyiddin said he feared that the endless operations could cause the water treatment plants to breakdown, causing water disruption in designated areas.
He said the federal government was determined to offset the impending water crisis in the Klang Valley and certain parts of Selangor, but without the state government's approval to build the Langat 2 project, the problem could not be overcome.
Muhyiddin said he had written to Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to ask him to approve the development order for the Langat 2 project, but was unsuccessful.
"He (Abdul Khalid) is fond of giving excuses like wanting to resolve the water industry rationalisation between the state and all water concessionaires first," said Muhyiddin.
He said Abdul Khalid should differentiate the water industry rationalisation issue from the Langat 2 project, and allow the federal government to solve the state's water woes.-- BERNAMA
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