AN opposition lawmaker has continued to blame Syarikat Pengeluaran Air Sungai Selangor Sdn Bhd (SPLASH) over water disruption in Selangor, calling for the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) to review the concessionaire agreement.

Charles Santiago (DAP-Klang) said SPLASH didn’t have proper contingency plans to handle an emergency and had failed to provide regular updates on the status of repair works.

“Apparently, three of the water pumps were not repaired or maintained since 2016 and the fourth pump was recognised as faulty by Air Selangor because of consumer complaints and a loss of 30 million litres a day from the dams,” he said during a press conference at the media centre in Parliament today.

Santiago also also said that SPAN needs to investigate as to why the three water pumps were not repaired for more than a year, the causes of explosion during the repairing of the fourth pump and if procedures were followed as well as whether systems were maintained properly.

“The water concessionaire is also facing financial problems given that their debts with Tenaga Nasional Bread (TNB) run into millions of ringgit.

“As such, the crucial question to ask is whether SPLASH’s concession agreement should be terminated given the poor maintenance and staggering debts,” he said.

He also reiterated that SPLASH, supplier of treated water to Syabas, was responsible for the water disruption as it was awarded a 30-year concession by the previous Barisan Nasional state government of Selangor in January 2000.

“After repairing the fourth pump, the surge vessel system exploded during the process of reactivation, injuring five workers.

“It is clear that the plant was poorly maintained and as a result placed thousands of households without water, distress and not to mention the extra expenses incurred by that people to buy food and water,” he said.

Last week’s water disruption, which was due to emergency repair works at the Sungai Selangor Phase 3 water treatment plant, was reported to have affected two million consumers in 427 areas. – March 12, 2018.