DAP MP makes damning allegation against Selangor

(Malay Mail Online) – The Selangor government allegedly shifted the goalposts in measuring critical water levels at the Sungai Selangor dam to escape another water rationing exercise in the state, a Pakatan Rakyat parliamentarian claimed today.

Klang MP Charles Santiago claimed that the state has “arbitrarily determined” a new critical cutoff point of 30 per cent in reserves, just below the dam’s current reserve levels of 33.46 per cent — the lowest reading by far.

He noted that the new cutoff level is significantly lower than the 37 per cent that was used to impose water rationing during the two-month water shortage in the Klang Valley earlier this year.

“While the Selangor state government has conveniently tweaked the math, Lembaga Urusan Air Selangor (Luas) notes that the raw water reserve levels have already reached a critical stage,” he said in a statement.

“In the next days, as people return from their Hari Raya break, the reserve levels would dip further as a result of higher consumption. This situation will be made worse if there is no rain around the catchment area,” Charles added.

Yesterday, Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said the state will not implement water rationing as there are options available to ensure there is sufficient supply until the monsoon season arrives in November.

He also denied claims that water levels at several dams were below the minimum marks, stressing that cloud seeding has been carried out successfully over existing catchment areas.

Khalid previously gave his guarantee that Selangor would not have to undergo another rationing exercise like the previous one in March.

Luas, however, declared reserves at “critical level” at the Sungai Selangor dam — which supplies water to 62 per cent of Klang Valley residents — after water levels continued to drop yesterday.

Santiago today said there has yet to be any proof of the efficacy of cloud seeding as claimed by Khalid, leaving water from ex-mining ponds as the only alternative source of water for the Sungai Selangor dam.

He claimed that the state has increased the number of ex-mining ponds from which they will source water in Bestari Jaya, after several of the earlier ponds used to deal with the February-March crisis have since been depleted.

But the alternative source may not be the safest solution for Selangor residents, due to the possibility of heavy metal contamination of river and drinking water, he added.

“Thus far, the state and department of health have not publicly disclosed the Drinking Water Quality Standards findings undertaken during the drought period.

“Until a public disclosure is made, drinking water from Sungai Selangor should be treated as unsafe for consumption,” he said, adding that the state has not even furnished proof that water sourced from the ex-mining ponds will be sufficient to raise reserves above critical levels.

As an interim measure, Charles urged the National Water Services Commission (Span) to immediately ban all car washing and water bottling activities and start to promote water conservation in the state, and to intervene should a water emergency resurface.