Construction Of LRAL2 To Start 30 Days After Tender Is Given - Ongkili

The construction of first phase Langat 2 Water Treatment Plant and Distribution System (LRAL2) will start 30 days after the award of tender to the contractor next week.

Delayed since 2008, LRAL2 has to be completed soon to ensure adequate supply of treated water in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya until 2025.

Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili said excavation work for the 44.6 km tunnel to transfer raw water from Sungai Semantan in Pahang to Sungai Langat in Selangor is 90 percent completed.

"After getting the land and planning approval yesterday, the federal government mobilised all relevant agencies to hasten construction work," he told reporters after laying the stone to mark completion of the Pahang-Selangor Raw Water Tunnel near here, today.

The tunnel is capable of channeling 1,890 million litres (MLD) of raw rater daily to be treated with a capacity of 1,130 MLD for the first phase project.

The federal government and the Selangor state government yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the restructuring of the water industry.

Ongkili said a monitoring committee will be set up to ensure smooth implementation.

It will be chaired by himself with representatives from the Selangor government and the federal government.

The LRAL2 project is expected to be completed in 39 months (2017).

A mitigation project with an allocation of RM909 million by the federal government will also start immediately to improve the treated water channels.

He hopes that talks to acquire the four water concessionaires in Selangor could be decided in 90 days.

"I believe in the leadership of the Selangor Menteri Besar ( Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim) to handle the acquisition. They (Selangor) have 20 per cent shares in Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas)."

The Selangor government via its subsidiary Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Bhd (KDEB) will pay RM9.65 billion to acquire the four water concessionaires.

The acquisition involves Puncak Niaga Sdn Bhd, Syarikat Pengeluar Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Splash), Konsortium ABASS Sdn Bhd and Syabas.

-- BERNAMA