PENANG Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow is hoping that Water and Environment Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man can solve the water issue between Penang and Kedah.

Chow said Tuan Ibrahim should be responsible in ensuring that all states in the country had an adequate supply of raw water.

“I feel that the minister concerned should see himself as a national minister who can tackle the water problem involving states and not as a PAS minister because it involved a state led by PAS,” he said in Balik Pulau today.

Chow said the Penang government will continue to raise the water issue at all federal-level meetings it attended because it is of national concern.

He was earlier asked to comment on Tuan Ibrahim’s comments that Penang had a moral responsibility of paying Kedah for water supply sourced from Sungai Muda.

Last Friday, Tuan Ibrahim said Penang had the right to take water from Sungai Muda, but the water flow originated from the Ulu Muda forest in Kedah which should be conserved and protected from logging which caused the state’s loss of potential income.

Meanwhile, Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang Sdn Bhd (PBAPP) chief executive officer Jaseni Maidinsa suggested that the federal government should compensate Kedah instead of forcing Penang to pay.

He said Penang was not paying Kedah for raw water from Sungai Muda as there was no legal requirement to do so.

“It is the duty of the Environment and Water Minister to obtain funds from the federal government to rehabilitate Ulu Muda and Sungai Muda instead of forcing Penang to pay Kedah,” he added.

Jaseni said the federal government should be focusing on paying compensation for rehabilitating Ulu Muda and Sungai Muda in Kedah. – Bernama, September 5, 2022.