ANY decision by the Perak government regarding water supply to Penang will be studied in detail, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.

He said any decision by Perak, including wanting to prioritise the state’s needs first before supplying water to Penang, is a policy that needs to be respected.

“There is nothing wrong with the policy for Perak to prioritise the needs of the state first,” he told reporters after officiating at the national-level World Water Day 2023 celebration at the Indera Mulia Stadium in Ipoh.

“We will see if there really is a large surplus, the projection, as well as the needs of five years or 10 years. All of that will be studied scientifically. Only then we will make a decision.”

Themed “Accelerating Change”, the event was also attended by Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

Anwar said this when asked about Perak not being ready to negotiate with Penang regarding supplying water to its neighbouring state.

On December 1 last year, Perak Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad said the state would not supply water to Penang even though the state government now comprises Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan representatives.

Earlier in his speech, Anwar said Malaysia should not face water supply issues during the dry weather because the country has abundant water and rainfall every year.

Anwar instructed the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Ministry to find the best measures to address any water supply problem during the dry weather, including studying the methods used in other countries.

“What is the point of having intelligence and wisdom but not using them.

“Nik Nazmi, I don’t want to hear that there is no water when there is dry weather next year because our country receives heavy rainfall,” he said. – Bernama, March 11, 2023.