Thursday, March 13, 2014

Concessionaires doubt invocation of Wasia has blessing of federal govt

Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim dropped a bombshell by disclosing that since the Government has elected to forcibly acquire the water assets in the state, the price will be lower by about RM2bil from its original RM9.65bil offer.

He also said the water concessionaires would be informed by the Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister about the invocation of the Water Services Industry Act 2006 (Wasia).

The concessionaires, however, said they had yet to get anything officially and expressed doubts if the statement by Khalid was sanctioned by the federal government.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Selangor jimat RM2 bilion jika Putrajaya paksa ambilalih air melalui WSIA

Kerajaan negeri Selangor menyatakan persetujuan berhubung tindakan Putrajaya untuk menggunakan Seksyen 114 Akta Industri Perkhidmatan Air (WSIA) 2006 bagi pengambialihan syarikat konsesi air kerana ia membolehkan Selangor mandapatkan penjimatan sehingga RM2 bilion.

Tawaran asal bagi pengambil alihan empat syarikat konsesi air di Selangor adalah RM9.65 bilion, namun melalui Seksyen 114 WSIA 2006, Selangor hanya perlu membayar syarikat konsesi sebanyak RM7.65 bilion.

"Dengan cara ini kita mempunyai penjimatan sebanyak RM2 billion.

Penstrukturan air: Pusat ikrar bantu Selangor

Kerajaan Persekutuan dan Kerajaan Selangor akan meneruskan langkah-langkah  perlu bagi melaksanakan penyusunan semula industri air Selangor mengikut terma yang telah persetujui menerusi Memorandum Persefahaman (MoU) yang ditandatangani pada 26 Februari lalu.

Selaras  dengan terma dan syarat-syarat dalam MoU, Kerajaan Persekutuan menerusi Kementerian Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau dan Air (KeTTHA) kini akan menggunakan kuasanya mengikut Akta Industri Perkhidmatan Air 2006 (WSIA) dan mana-mana akta,  undang-undang atau peraturan yang terpakai untuk membantu Kerajaan Selangor melaksanakan cadangan pengambilalihan industri perkhidmatan air.

Menurut kenyataan bersama Pejabat Menteri Besar Selangor dan Kementerian Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau dan Air yang dikeluarkan lewat petang semalam, Kerajaan Pusat berjanji akan mengambil segala langkah perlu termasuk menguatkuasakan pemakaian Seksyen 114 Akta WSIA dalam usaha menangani isu yang melibatkan kepentingan negara.

Langkah ini perlu bagi memastikan perkhidmatan air di Selangor, Kuala Lumpur dan Putrajaya  lebih mampan dan berdaya maju.

Kerajaan Persekutuan kuatkuasakan WSIA untuk mudahkan penstrukturan semula air Selangor

Kerajaan Persekutuan dan Kerajaan Selangor akan meneruskan langkah-langkah perlu bagi melaksanakan penyusunan semula industri air Selangor mengikut terma yang telah persetujui menerusi Memorandum Persefahaman (MoU) yang ditandatangani pada 26 Februari lalu.

Selaras dengan terma dan syarat-syarat dalam MoU, Kerajaan Persekutuan menerusi Kementerian Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau dan Air (KeTTHA) kini akan menggunakan kuasanya mengikut Akta Industri Perkhidmatan Air 2006 (WSIA) dan mana-mana akta, undang-undang atau peraturan yang terpakai untuk membantu Kerajaan Selangor melaksanakan cadangan pengambilalihan industri perkhidmatan air.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Ammonia Processing Facility At Water Treatment Plant The Best Solution

While the current drought has created water shortages throughout the country, the problem is exacerbated by the ammonia contamination in water treatment plants.

According to the Indah Water Consortium (IWK), the source of the ammonia contamination is the septic tanks and it is no small matter as there were an estimated 1.2 million premises with individual septic tanks in the country.

In the Klang Valley, a study by the Department of Environment (DOE) found the Langat River Basin being most vulnerable to ammonia and sewerage pollution due to presence of more than 33,000 individual septic tanks in the area.

The ammonia pollution happens when the septic tanks are not emptied periodically, at least once every three years, causing the sewage to get stuck in the pipes and overflow into the drains and rivers which are the sources of drinking water.

S’gor Water Buyout ‘Not Reasonable’

Puncak Niaga Holdings Bhd and Gamuda Bhd have both said the latest offer by the Selangor state government (SSG) in relation to the state’s water consolidation exercise to buy their water businesses out as “not reasonable”.

Gamuda said the net offer to buy its stake in Syarikat Pengeluar Air Selangor Holding Bhd (Splash) for RM250.6 million will result in a huge divestment loss of RM920 million to Gamuda compared with the net asset value (NAV) of Splash amounting to RM2.54 billion as at Dec 31, 2013. Gamuda has a 40% stake in Splash.

“The offer of RM250.6 million is below 10% of Splash’s NAV. The offer is therefore not reasonable for acceptance by the company.

Hanya satu bersetuju tawaran air, Putrajaya perlu buktikan komitmen

Putrajaya kini perlu membuktikan sama ada ia akan memenuhi perjanjiannya dengan Selangor terhadap  pengstrukturan semula  industri air selepas tiga daripada empat syarikat konsesi menolak tawaran dari kerajaan negeri Selangor apabila tarikh tawaran berakhir jam 5 petang semalam.

Selangor bersedia menawarkan RM9.65 bilion untuk membeli saham semua empat firma air dalam industri ini di bawah satu perjanjian yang akan membolehkan Putrajaya membina loji rawatan air bernilai bilion ringgit.

Hanya satu syarikat menerima tawaran ini iaitu Konsortium Abbas Sdn Bhd (Abbas), yang majoriti sahamnya dimiliki oleh anak syarikat kerajaan negeri Selangor iaitu Perangsang Selangor.

Puncak Niaga and Splash reject offer from Selangor for water assets

Puncak Niaga Holdings Bhd and Gamuda Bhd are standing their ground for a better offer from the Selangor Government for their water assets, indicating that the entire exercise is not going to be a straight-forward affair as envisaged.

As expected, only Kumpulan Perangsang Selangor Bhd (KPS) has accepted the Selangor Government’s offer.

Puncak Niaga controls two water concessions which are Puncak Niaga Sdn Bhd (PNSB), a water treatment plant operator, and Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) that have the mandate to distribute water in the state, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

Monday, March 10, 2014

MoU Selangor : Untung atau rugi?

Air buat julung-julung kali dijadikan salah satu tawaran dalam manifesto pilihanraya oleh satu gabungan parti politik yang bertanding dalam Pilihanraya Umum ke12 (PRU12) pada tahun 2008. Tawaran 20 meter padu pertama percuma setiap bulan selanjutnya menjadi salah satu daripada 17 inisiatif pentadbiran Pakatan Rakyat di bawah agenda Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor. Dalam manifesto bagi PRU13, selain meneruskan kesinambungan polisi air percuma, Pakatan Rakyat turut menawarkan penstrukturan semula industri air negeri bagi melindungi hak rakyat Selangor mendapat bekalan air terawat pada harga yang berpatutan dan peruntukkan saham syarikat air baharu secara percuma kepada rakyat Selangor yang layak, bakal terbentuk hasil pergabungan empat syarikat konsesi air.

Belum pun cukup setahun semenjak kemenangan bergaya dengan majoriti lebih dua pertiga di Dewan Negeri Selangor, semakin jelas Pakatan Rakyat hanya tinggal setapak dua sahaja lagi untuk mengotakan segala tawaran berkaitan air sebagaimana yang terkandung dalam manifesto bagi PRU13 dengan termeterainya Memorandum Persefahaman atau Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) antara Kerajaan Persekutuan dan Kerajaan Negeri Selangor pada 26 Februari 2014 yang lalu. Meskipun lima tawaran Kerajaan Negeri kepada pemegang konsesi sebelum ini sejak 2008 gagal mencapai persetujuan semua pihak secara “willing buyer, willing seller”, penguatkuasaan Akta Perkhidmatan Industri Air 2006 atau Water Services Industry Act (WSIA) 2006 (Akta 655) dan undang-undang berkenaan lain yang menjadi tonggak MoU ini akhirnya akan memuktamadkan penstrukturan semula industri air Selangor.

Saturday, March 8, 2014

‘Liow wrong, Syabas to blame’

Selangor Menteri Besar Incorporated chief executive officer Faekah Husin said that the current water crisis was not caused by the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government, as claimed by MCA president Liow Tiong Lai.

“It was Syabas’ failure to plug on to the 34% of non renewable water that caused the problem,” said Faekah at the sidelines of Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim’s meet the people function in Desa Sri Jenaris.

“There is a management crisis in Syabas and the water service industry in the state. Bringing in the water from elsewhere would not resolve the problem.

“That is why the Selangor government moved to take over the state’s water management,” said Faekah who was Khalid Ibrahim’s former political secretary.

Azmin bertukar nada, sekarang sokong kepentingan MoU air

Nada Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (Adun) Bukit Antarabangsa, Mohamed Azmin Ali berubah lunak apabila bercakap isu mememorandum persefahaman (MoU) berkaitan air Selangor.

Beliau juga dilihat menyokong kesepakatan pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat yang sebulat suara menyatakan persetujuan kepada MoU yang ditandatangani Kerajaan Selangor dan Kerajaan Pusat.

Azmin berucap demikian depan lebih 200 hadirin pada majlis pelancaran Bilik Gerakan Pakatan Rakyat di Daerah Sungai Kantan di sini, malam tadi.

300,000 More Households Go Dry

Close to 300,000 households in the Klang Valley will be added to the water rationing list as the situation at the dams in Selangor are not showing any improvement, said the National Water Services Commission (Span).

At a press conference here yesterday, it announced that 290,865 households will see taps going dry beginning on Monday under the third phase of the water rationing schedule, that will cumulatively affect some 3.6 million residents.

Under the third phase, the Selangor Government will cut water released from its reservoirs by another 300 million litres a day – a significant reduction from the previous 200 million litres a day under the second phase – bringing the total reduction to 500 million litres a day.

Pakatan Leadership Agrees With Water Restructuring Pact: Khalid

The Pakatan Rakyat top leadership has given its blessings to the water restructuring deal between the Selangor and federal governments.

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim (pix) said the matter was discussed at a meeting last night, attended by PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and they had agreed to the project.

"Last night, I discussed with the Pakatan Rakyat leadership (on the water restructuring deal) and they agreed to the project, though, there was initial suspicion on responsibility, on the part of the state and federal governments.

"But the project must be consolidated as an assurance to the people of Selangor on the benefits of this project," he told reporters after the launch of the Rural Technical Skills Programme and Incentive School Bus Grant For Village Children here.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Kerajaan Selangor bantu Syabas tambah lori air

Kerajaan Selangor akan membantu Syabas melalui pihak berkuasa tempatan (PBT) dan lain-lain agensi kerajaan dalam menambahkan lori-lori tangki atau lori kargo serta pemandu bagi tujuan penghantaran air.
Bukan itu sahaja, Kerajaan Selangor juga akan membantu untuk menguruskan penggunaan khidmat Rela dalam membantu Syabas menghantar air melalui lori tangki.
Menurut wakil Unit Perancang Ekonomi Negeri Selangor Nor Azmie Diron pihaknya telah mengadakan perbincangan bersama Syabas semalam dan bersetuju dengan langkah catuan air peringkat kedua yang akan berjalan selama sebulan.

MB: Saham air kepada rakyat selepas penstrukturan industri air selesai

Rancangan pemberian saham air kepada rakyat yang diumumkan dalam Manifesto Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pada Mei 2013 akan diteruskan selepas penstrukturan semula industri air selesai sepenuhnya.

Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, berkata hasrat itu diyakini akan dapat dipenuhi kerajaan negeri, namun tiada sebarang jangka masa ditetapkan untuk pelaksanakannya.