The state will instal biological remediation at the upstream level to purify the water quality at Sungai Selangor and Sungai Langat
by AFIQ AZIZ / pic by BERNAMA
THE Selangor government has introduced a new scheme — Raw Water Guarantee Scheme (SJAM) — to ensure seamless operation in the state’s water system supply chain in the next couple of years.
The executive committee for Infrastructure, Public Facilities, Agricultural Modernisation and Agro-based Industry Ir Izham Hashim (picture) said the SJAM will mitigate the current pollution issue at Selangor riverways that has been a cause of multiple water disruption in the Klang Valley.
Through the short- and long- term plan in the state budget, the Selangor government assured that the raw water issue will be resolved.
Among others, he said the state will instal biological remediation at the upstream level to purify the water quality at Sungai Selangor and Sungai Langat — which supply 3,500 million litres per day to about 70% of the total users in the Klang Valley.
He said through the combined biotechnology from the US and Malaysia, a nanotechnology element called aquaritin, will be placed before the raw water enters Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd’s water treatment plants.
Additionally, he said the state will also instal equipment known as total organic carbon analyser at the upstream level next year which can trace elements of pollution that can cause odour pollution.
Earlier, Selangor has also proposed to pump out water from their Hybrid Off-River Augmentation System (Horas) to the river to ensure dilution of any pollution. Horas is a water storage pond stored during the rainy season and to be used during the drought season.
“With this, I believe we can tackle water disruption at a 99% level. The system may fail with some extraordinary incidents like a long drought season,” Izham told a media briefing in Shah Alam, Selangor yesterday.
A company director and a road contractor were charged in Selayang session court on Monday for causing the latest Sungai Selangor water pollution early this month.
R Nathan and Lim Kian Aik, both 42, were the first individuals to face such an offence under Section 124K of the Penal Code — under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma). Both could face life imprisonment for sabotaging water services in the state, upon conviction.
They were charged with intent to release hazardous materials into a public sewage treatment facility owned by Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd at Taman Velox, Rawang, Selangor.
Meanwhile, Izham also shared to date, more than 20 pollution cases were detected in the Selangor river with a risk of stop-work order at Air Selangor treatment plants.
Izham added that the Selangor government will also work with the Department of Environment (DoE) and local authorities to find a solution to regulate more than 15,000 factories nearby the river basin of Sungai Selangor and Sungai Langat. These factories are currently not registered with DoE.
“So, if DoE cannot amend their regulation to handle this, we may need to work with local authorities. Be mindful that the figures 15,000 are only legal factories and there are also illegal ones that we need to handle,” he added. So far, Izham said only 223 of factories in the area are being audited by the DoE.
In the state 2021 budget, Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari announced RM200 million of allocation to enhance the water supply system in the state.
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