SHAH ALAM 11 MAY: The Selangor government will be providing information to consumers within the Klang Valley regarding steps and measures of using mine water; the current hot topic among many.
The Executive Councillor in charge of Youth and Sports, Infrastructure and Public Amenities, Dr Yunus Hairi, said that the move is in preparation to face the drought and all decisions made have certainly gone through professional research.
“We are channelling river water into former mining ponds in preparation for the drought.
“However, the decision made to use the water has been done professionally.
“State Government will provide explanation and assure consumers as the ministry has confirmed that the water is safe to be consumed,” he told Selangor Kini through SMS.
Prior to this, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Datuk Seri G.Palanivel supported the Selangor government’s proposal to use raw water from the former mines to accommodate the water demand in the Klang Valley.
He said that mine water is safe to use if filtered, processed and treated according to proper procedures.
However, a different reaction was given by the Health Ministry through its Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. S. Subramaniam who requested for the Selangor government to halt all use of water from former mines and would like to discuss the issue with Selangor Water Management Authority(SWMA) and the State Government.
Apart from that, the State Government has repeatedly stressed that Langat 2 is not the only solution to the water shortage in the Klang Valley because the plant will only be able to provide up to 100million litres of water per day(MLD).
Yunus also dismissed allegations from the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, regarding the water shortage issue being due to free water policy practiced by the State Government and its refusal to increase the water tariff.
