Friday, December 9, 2011

TheStar:Perak Water Board to start on clean slate after migration

PERAKIANS have been assured that water supply will remain affordable after Perak Water Board’s (LAP) assets are transferred to Syarikat Pengurusan Aset Air Bhd (PAAB).

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said there was no reason to increase the water tariff as the exercise was aimed at reducing LAP’s water debt to the Federal Government.

“I do not foresee the need to increase water tariff since the management of LAP is expected to improve,” said Dr Zambry, who is LAP chairman, after chairing the board’s meeting in Ipoh on Monday.

During the recent state assembly sitting, Dr Zambry had told the House that the state’s RM970.59mil water supply debt to the Federal Government would be reduced to RM78.66mil with the settlement of the water asset migration between LAP and PAAB.

Dr Zambry said LAP would literally start on a clean slate next year following the migration of its assets to PAAB.

TheStar:‘Migrate to new regime and end water wastage’

Efforts to reduce non-revenue water (NRW) – water that has been produced but lost before it reaches consumers – can yield results if more states migrate to the National Water Services Commis­sion’s (SPAN) new licensing regime.

Currently, Malacca, Negri Sembi­lan, Johor and Penang are the only states that have done so.

SPAN chief executive officer Datuk Teo Yen Hua said the water services in these states had improved.

“The migration helps to transform the water services industry,” he said yesterday.

Under the new regime, funds allocated by the Federal Government through the Water Asset Manage­ment Company (PAAB) would be used for water supply development and infrastructure upgrades.

Teo said water leakages due to old pipes, old meters, under-registered water flow and illegal pipe connection were the reasons for the NRW.

“With the allocations, these shortcomings could be upgraded which, in turn, contribute significantly towards reducing the NRW.”

Teo said the NRW’s national average is 36%, adding that the government aimed to go below 25% by 2020. Penang’s rate is 19% and Malacca’s 25%.

“Negri Sembilan showed an improvement from 49% in 2009 to 44.5% this year,” he said.

Bernama:Bengoh Dam Water Supply Privatisation A State Matter, Says Chin

The privatisation of water supply from the Bengoh hydroelectric dam near here is under the purview of the state government, Datuk Seri Peter Chin said here Wednesday.

The Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister said he was not aware of the proposed privatisation as water supply is basically a state matter.

"There is separation of powers between the federal and state governments. Why I am involved in the Bengoh dam is because the federal government, through my ministry, gave a loan to the state to build it," he told reporters after presenting an allocation of RM130,000 to Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) under its mentor programme fund of 1 Ministry 1 Higher Institution of Learning (1IPTA 1 Menteri) at the Unimas campus today.

Through funds available in the ministry's budget, he said, RM338.9 million had been expended under the Ninth Malaysia Plan and another RM98 million under the 10th Malaysia Plan.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

SelangorKini:Selangor Lantik Perunding Antarabangsa Siasat Punca Pencemaran Loji Syabas

Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim telah mengarahkan pengawal selia air negeri serta juruaudit operasi dari perunding antarabangsa Halcrow untuk memeriksa empat loji rawatan bersama pegawai operasi Syabas bagi menyiasat punca pencemaran yang menyebabkan kekeruhan berlaku di empat loji berkenaan.
“Kerajaan Negeri Selangor bimbang dengan kenyataan Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) tentang kemungkinan berlakunya gangguan bekalan air di lapan wilayah Syabas di seluruh negeri dan Kuala Lumpur akibat kandungan kekeruhan luar biasa di Sungai Selangor,” kata Abdul Khalid dalam kenyataan media yang dikeluarkan oleh Sekretariat Media Pejabat Dato’ Menteri Besar hari ini.

Menurut Abdul Khalid, empat loji yang terlibat air Loji Rawatan Air Sungai Selangor Fasa 1 (SSP1), Loji Rawatan Air Sungai Selangor Fasa 2 (SSP2), Loji Rawatan Air Sungai Selangor Fasa 3 (SSP3), dan Loji Rawatan Air Rantau Panjang sehingga mengakibatkan pengurangan pengeluaran air bersih kepada pengguna.

Satu laporan juga akan disediakan untuk dibentangkan pada mesyuarat majlis kerajaan negeri (MMKN), Rabu ini. Lembaga Urusan Air Selangor dan Jabatan Alam Sekitar Negeri Selangor juga akan dipanggil untuk memberi penjelasan penuh tentang kejadian ini serta mencari jalan penyelesaian supaya perkara ini tidak berulang.

“Kerajaan Negeri tidak teragak-agak untuk mengambil tindakan undang-undang terhadap mana-mana pihak yang cuai sehingga menyebabkan pencemaran ini berlaku.

Kerajaan Negeri menyeru agar Syabas membuat persediaan yang secukupnya sekiranya berlakunya gangguan bekalan air dan menasihatkan pengguna supaya berjimat cermat menggunakan air,” katanya.

Bernama:Water Supply Returning To Normal As Turbidity Of Sungai Selangor Dropped

The turbidity level of Sungai Selangor has dropped to normal to enable the four water-treatment plants in Bestari Jaya, Ijok and Kuala Selangor to resume operation at optimal capacity of 2,680 million litres of water a day from 1am Tuesday.

State water concessionaire Syabas CEO Datuk Ruslan Hassan said this means water supply to affected areas in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor would return to normal in stages from Tuesday until Wednesday.

He said the turbidity level, which had risen drastically Monday to 6,000 NTU (nephelometric turbidity unit), had dropped to 300 NTU Tuesday.

However, consumers in high-lying areas will still experience low water pressure or disruptions as water-intake at the four plants dropped from 2,460 million litres per day to 1,000 million litres per day until early today, he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim has directed the state water regulators as well as an international consultancy company, Halcrow Group along with Syabas officers to investigate the reasons behind the contamination that led to the surge in turbidity at the four plants.

"A report on the inspection will be tabled at the state executive council meeting tomorrow," he said in a statement, adding that the Selangor Waters Management Authority and the Department of Environment would also enlighten state executive councillors on the incident and provide solutions to prevent its recurrence.-- BERNAMA

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

HarakahDaily:Air kotor: Penduduk kesal laporan Utusan

“Kami tidak ada masalah untuk mendapatkan air bersih. Tidak pula berlaku ada kekuningan seperti disebut dalam sebuah akhbar.

”Bekalan air yang disalur Air Kelantan Sdn Bhd tidak bermasalah, kalau setahun mungkin ada sekali dua terputus bekalan sekejap,” kata pekerja sebuah restoran di kawasan bebas cukai di sini.

Seorang peniaga, Wan Hanafi Wan Jaafar, 48 melahirkan rasa kesal terhadap laporan sebuah akhbar baru-baru ini yang mendakwa air dibekalkan AKSB berkarat dan berbau.

”Saya hendak tanya sumber air yang didakwa itu diambil dari punca mana. Kalau air AKSB tidak berlaku apa yang didakwa tersebut.

”Lainlah kalau mendapat sumber air dari telaga tiub yang dikorek sendiri. Memang air boring berbau dan berwarna kuning. Kalau air AKSB tidak,” katanya ketika ditemui semalam.

TheStar:‘Terrible twins’ La Nina and monsoon to hit KL and Selangor

THE Klang Valley will have to brace itself for a wet, wet time as La Nina lashes the area, bringing with it intense and severe thunderstorms. Many major towns and cities in the country will also be affected as the north-east monsoon hits at the same time.

Last Sunday's thunderstorm, which left trees uprooted and flash floods in several areas, was not the first time the “bad girl” had unleashed her fury, nor will it be the last.

The Meteorological Department said rainfall for the first four days of this month for the western peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak was higher compared with the same period last year.

Earlier, it had warned that rain during this wet season could be at least between 20% and 40% higher.

The authorities said the Kajang flash floods, which left businesses with millions of ringgit in losses, were partly caused by clogged drains.