PERIKATAN Nasional has given the boot to National Water Services Commission (Span) chairman Charles Santiago and other commissioners.

The Klang MP confirmed receiving his termination letter today.

The letter, dated April 10 and seen by The Malaysian Insight, was signed by Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man of PAS.

Dungun MP Wan Hassan Mohd Ramli, also of the Islamist party, is expected to replace Santiago at the water regulator.

Messages congratulating Wan Hassan have been widely shared on social media over the past week.

In a press statement, Santiago pledged to put in place a “check and balance” mechanism so that the public can hold Span’s new leadership accountable, and to ensure his work over the last 18 months is not in vain.

“This (termination) is not about losing a fancy designation, but rather, the deep concern that all the hard work done over the last 18 months may possibly go to waste.”

He listed his achievements as chairman, among them:

* Mandating that water and sewerage companies set aside 1% of their operational budgets to combat corruption and strengthen corporate governance;

* Conducting special performance audits on three water companies;

* Merging water and sewerage regulatory units into one department to strengthen enforcement operations;

* Shutting down the Ayer Ganda water treatment plant in Perak when it was found that levels of arsenic in the facility’s treated water surpassed the Health Ministry’s stipulated safe limit;

* Formulating an action plan to combat river pollution, including upgrading sewerage treatment plants’ capacity and requiring water utilities to prepare a water safety plan; and,

* Organising dialogues between Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd and residents of Petaling Jaya and Klang to resolve water and sewage problems.

Santiago said before the movement-control order to curb the coronavirus’ spread came into force, Span was organising a seminar on climate change and its impact on water supply in the peninsula.

“But that had to be postponed due to Covid-19. I will, however, continue to work on the seminar, which will be held in the webinar format in the near future.”

He urged the public to continue pressuring the PN administration to craft laws protecting rivers and water catchment areas.

“It’s important that together, we lobby the federal and state governments to channel more resources – funds and personnel – into monitoring and protecting our rivers and all other precious freshwater sources.” – April 17, 2020.