Kedah MB insists on billing Penang for raw water

(FMT) – Kedah is still demanding payment from the Penang government for the raw water drawn from Sungai Muda.

Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said the state government intended to charge 10 sen for every cubic metre of raw water consumed, but was ready to negotiate with the Penang state government on the price.

“We want payment and not any other kind of contribution or compensation,” he told reporters here today.

For comparison, Singapore pays Johor three sen per thousand gallons of raw water.

Sanusi was responding to Minister of Environment and Water Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man’s statement that it would be good if Penang could contribute financially to Kedah which, he said, had “sacrificed” to maintain water catchment areas to ensure that both states’ water resources were guaranteed.

Meanwhile, Sanusi said he could not give any assurance that illegally built structures, including houses of worship, would not be demolished.

“Building a structure on land belonging to other parties (without permission) is an offence under the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 (Act 133),” he said.

On Monday, a coalition of non-governmental organisations urged him to give his assurance that the state government would stop demolishing Hindu temples in the state and would instead relocate them if necessary.

Earlier this month, the Alor Setar City Council demolished the Sri Raja Muniswarar Temple at Taman Bersatu, Kuala Kedah, as it was built on land belonging to the state government.