WATER to 81% of households in four Selangor districts resumed as of 6pm this evening, after the Sg Semenyih water treatment plant resumed operations.

At least 372,000 consumers in the Petaling, Hulu Langat, Kuala Langat and Sepang districts had their water cut off abruptly last night, due to odour pollution in the Sg Semenyih raw water sources.

Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd said in a statement that, of the four districts, 96% of homes in Hulu Langat have had their water supply restored.

As for the other areas, it is 72% in Petaling, 61% in Kuala Langat and 85% in Sepang.

Air Selangor also said the work to alleviate the pollution at the water treatment plant was almost complete.

The company added that water tankers will continue to run to all remaining 10 affected areas until the work is 100% complete.

Selangor state Environment, Green Technology, Science, Technology and Innovation and Consumer Affairs executive councillor Hee Loy Sian told The Malaysian Insight earlier that unauthorised disposal of waste into a sewerage system had caused the disruption at the Sg Semenyih water treatment plant.

He explained that Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas) had received a report from Pengurusan Air Selangor on odour pollution at the Sg Semenyih raw water source.

“The odour was detected yesterday 1.5km from the Sg Semenyih plant.

“The authorities found that the odour was also emanating from Bangi Villa, and that it stemmed from the nearby Sg Beranang,” he said.

This morning, Raof said treated water levels would be increased in stages.

“We are still in the process of increasing the level of our water reserves, distribution systems and service tanks at areas affected by the disruption,” Raof said.

The shutdown disrupted water supply to more than 370,000 residences in four Selangor districts.

Air Selangor said the treatment plant’s shutdown had affected its supply to 204 areas in Petaling, Hulu Langat, Kuala Langat and Sepang.

Meanwhile, Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd said the closure of the Sg Semenyih water treatment plant was not caused by its sewage treatment operation.

It said that the incident was caused by illegal discharge of chemical waste near the sewage plant at Bandar Bukit Mahkota.

“The IWK, together with the Department of Environment (DOE), had lodged a police report about the matter.

“Police arrived at 10pm yesterday to inspect a manhole suspected of being the discharge point of the contaminant,” it said in a statement. – September 29, 2019.