COMPENSATION for consumers and a task force to tackle river pollution are the two immediate measures the authorities must undertake to tackle water supply disruptions, said an activist group and a former commission chairman.

These measures are crucial after 18 disruptions in the Klang Valley between March and October, which burdened millions of users, they told The Malaysian Insight.

Among these cuts, only two are scheduled disruptions because of repair and upgrading works, according to information gathered from the Air Selangor website.

Of the remaining 16, at least five are because of contamination at the tributaries or water sources leading into Sg Semenyih and Sg Selangor while the rest is because of burst pipes.

Malaysian Water Forum president Saral James Maniam said for every disruption, consumers should be compensated for the shortfalls of the water companies.

She told The Malaysian Insight that this is to ensure that the companies carry out their work diligently.

“Stricter laws are already in place but pollution is still happening. The culprits don’t seem to care about law or enforcement,” Saral said.

“I think the authorities need to do something more instead of just waiting for things to happen before acting.”

Saral was responding to the disruption yesterday from pollution in Sg Selangor, which resulted in the closure of the Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3 and Rantau Panjang treatment plants.

The suspension of operations at the four plants led to dry taps at 1.196 million households and businesses covering 1,292 areas in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling, Klang, Shah Alam, Kuala Selangor, Hulu Selangor, Gombak and Kuala Langat.

Water and Environment Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said yesterday water supply in the Klang Valley is expected to be restored in stages within the next 24 hours, adding that the pollution could have been caused by nearby factories.

Saral urged water companies, such as Air Selangor and Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas), to be more proactive.

“This is not only about Air Selangor, but there is Luas, who is supposed to be more effective in playing their role as the enforcement body.

“Why does this keep happening? Last week it was Semenyih, now Selangor, where next? Is this sabotage?”

She said that there seems to be no fear when it comes to dumping pollutants into rivers.

“The Selangor sultan also said that all the factories along the river basin should be demolished. It will take time. But what are they (authorities) doing now (to address the issue)?”

Saral said there must be effective enforcement and the public must be updated on what action is taken.

Task force

Former National Water Services Commission (SPAN) chairman Charles Santiago said the state government needs to set up a task force to tackle the river pollution issue.

It is crucial to set up a high-level committee with experts not affiliated with the state government, he said.

“The state government needs the political will to tackle this problem immediately, if possible, tomorrow and not wait for it (water pollution) to happen again,” he said.

“I have made recommendations in a letter to Selangor Menteri Besar (Amirudin Shari) since September and am awaiting a response.”

Charles said that he also suggested to the Menteri besar last month to have buffer zones near the river basin to protect against illegal dumping.

“My idea is to create a 50m to 100m buffer from the river.

“Licensed factories situated along the river have to move, they can be relocated to industrial areas.

“They don’t have to do it for the whole river stretch. Just areas that are close to residential areas.”

Charles said this is the worst time for a water disruption, especially during the conditional movement-control order (CMCO), which was enforced last week to break the chain of Covid-19 infections.  

“Now with the disruption, they (families) will have to run from shop to shop to look for water. The purpose of the CMCO is now completely defeated.”

Selamatkan Kuala Lumpur (SKL) chairman M. Ali questioned what were the enforcement agencies doing.

“Are they still allowing structures to come up on the water channel routes?”

He said the authorities at both the federal and state levels, apart from Air Selangor, have not come forward to take ownership and accountability.

“With each disaster, those custodians seem to have gone more deaf and blind.

“Can those responsible for managing the water resource system for Selangor and other areas served by Air Selangor submit a report card to the rakyat who have been affected by the repeated disasters?”

Ali said the authorities and Tuan Ibrahim must, at least on moral grounds, explain the situation.

“The number of disasters, at least, in the last five years? What were the causes?

“What action has been taken against those responsible for the disasters? What preventive measures have been taken or implemented after each disaster?”

Recent incidents

The worst case was the contamination in Sg Gong, where a factory poured hazardous materials into the tributary that fed Sg Selangor on September 3.

The Sg Gong pollution led to a major water disruption in the Klang Valley, affecting 1.2 million accounts.

The factory at the centre of the pollution has been operating since 2014 without any licence or permission from the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS).

Based on MPS data, the factory management had not made any application for licence since 2014. The disruption affected users for up to six days as Air Selangor had to flush the treatment plants.

Four company directors and one factory manager were charged in the Sessions Court with polluting Sg Gong on September 15.

A month later, on October 4, a similar contamination took place in Sg Semenyih, causing Air Selangor to shut down the Sg Semenyih and Bukit Tampoi treatment plants.

The shutdown affected 274 areas with 309,687 users in four districts – Petaling, Hulu Langat, Kuala Langat and Sepang.

Preliminary investigations have shown that the pollution detected at Sg Semenyih, Selangor, originated from an industrial area located about 30km away in Negri Sembilan.

To date, no one has been prosecuted over this incident. – October 20, 2020.