Using downstream water is too costly, says exco man
Nigel AwPublished: Apr 25, 2014 8:59 AM | Updated: Apr 25, 2014 12:50 PM
The Selangor government has defended itself against criticism for not utilising water from downstream where rain is abundant to overcome the critical shortage at the Sungai Selangor dam.
The Selangor government has defended itself against criticism for not utilising water from downstream where rain is abundant to overcome the critical shortage at the Sungai Selangor dam.
State exco member in charge of youth and sports, infrastructure and public facilities Ahmad Yunus Hairi said this would be too costly.
“It is logical why we are not doing it in terms of cost as it would be going against gravity,” he told a press conference at the Selangor state secretariat building in Shah Alam today.
Elaborating on the matter, Selangor Waters Management Authority (Luas) principal assistant director Md Khairi Selamat said the method was impractical.
“Sungai Selangor dam is situated in a high-lying area... It is difficult, in terms of hydraulic gravity, it is not possible,” he said.
As such, he said Selangor is resorting to using fresh water in former mining ponds that are pumped into Sungai Selangor.
This would reduce the reliance of water treatment plant on the Sungai Selangor dam, he said.
Ahmad Yunus (middle in photo) said that the water level at Sungai Selangor dam which supplies water to 60 percent of Klang Valley remains critical at a capacity of 39.71 percent as of today, despite heavy rainfall.
He had attributed this to the rain mostly falling downstream instead of near the dam.
Ahmad Yunus said there are already four pumps with a 50 million litres per day (MLD) capacity loaned from the Selangor Department of Drainage and Irrigation (JPS) and state government-linked company Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB).
“We will get five more tomorrow (also on loan) and we are planning to buy eight to 10 more high capacity pumps, hopefully within a month,” he said.
Luas said it expects the cost of the new pumps with a capacity of 86MLD to be upward of RM200,000 each.
Health concerns addressed
Ahmad Yunus also addressed health concerns by using fresh water from former mining ponds, saying that any iron content would be diluted when it is pumped into Sungai Selangor.
“We are also constantly conduct tests,” he said, adding that health authorities have also agreed to such use.
Ahmad Yunus said there are nine former mining ponds in total in the vicinity but the state government is only using one, and they can collectively last for five months.
He acknowledged a looming drought starting in June but said he hoped these measures can help cushion the impact until the state’s Hybrid Off River Augmentation System (Horas) project kicks in early next year.
Horas, essentially a retention pond, will have a capacity of 600MLD, he said.
On Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s statement that he expects the water rationing to end by next week, Ahmad Yunus said it depends on the success of the ongoing measures.
“We will make an announcement next week,” he said.
State exco member in charge of youth and sports, infrastructure and public facilities Ahmad Yunus Hairi said this would be too costly.
“It is logical why we are not doing it in terms of cost as it would be going against gravity,” he told a press conference at the Selangor state secretariat building in Shah Alam today.
Elaborating on the matter, Selangor Waters Management Authority (Luas) principal assistant director Md Khairi Selamat said the method was impractical.
“Sungai Selangor dam is situated in a high-lying area... It is difficult, in terms of hydraulic gravity, it is not possible,” he said.
As such, he said Selangor is resorting to using fresh water in former mining ponds that are pumped into Sungai Selangor.
This would reduce the reliance of water treatment plant on the Sungai Selangor dam, he said.
Ahmad Yunus (middle in photo) said that the water level at Sungai Selangor dam which supplies water to 60 percent of Klang Valley remains critical at a capacity of 39.71 percent as of today, despite heavy rainfall.He had attributed this to the rain mostly falling downstream instead of near the dam.
Ahmad Yunus said there are already four pumps with a 50 million litres per day (MLD) capacity loaned from the Selangor Department of Drainage and Irrigation (JPS) and state government-linked company Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB).
“We will get five more tomorrow (also on loan) and we are planning to buy eight to 10 more high capacity pumps, hopefully within a month,” he said.
Luas said it expects the cost of the new pumps with a capacity of 86MLD to be upward of RM200,000 each.
Health concerns addressed
Ahmad Yunus also addressed health concerns by using fresh water from former mining ponds, saying that any iron content would be diluted when it is pumped into Sungai Selangor.
“We are also constantly conduct tests,” he said, adding that health authorities have also agreed to such use.
Ahmad Yunus said there are nine former mining ponds in total in the vicinity but the state government is only using one, and they can collectively last for five months.
He acknowledged a looming drought starting in June but said he hoped these measures can help cushion the impact until the state’s Hybrid Off River Augmentation System (Horas) project kicks in early next year.
Horas, essentially a retention pond, will have a capacity of 600MLD, he said.
On Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s statement that he expects the water rationing to end by next week, Ahmad Yunus said it depends on the success of the ongoing measures.
“We will make an announcement next week,” he said.
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