SHAH ALAM, 16 Sept: The Langat 2 Water Treatment Plant, when completed, will be leased to Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) to enable it to be run by the company.

The Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, said that the restructuring of the water industry in Selangor provides many benefits to the people.

He said that this is because of the burden of the water debt and the bond issue has been ultimately resolved and one company, Air Selangor, will operate the water treatment and distribution of water for the water services to be more efficient and competitive.

“In addition, with this acquisition, there is no longer a situation of layered profit for water concessionaires while avoiding the 82 percent hike in the water tariff which is supposed to happen between 2009 and 2015, as stipulated in the Concession Agreement,” said Abdul Khalid in a press statement.

Abdul Khalid said that any increase in the water tariff in future will be done at reasonable rates under the regulation of SPAN and only with the consent of the State Government.

He said that the Selangor Government will prioritise programmes to reduce non-revenue water (NRW), increase the capability and effectiveness of the water assets and combat the issue of scarcity of treated water until Langat 2 is fully completed.

“At the same time, programmes to enhance the raw water supply under HORAS 600 and HORAS 3000 will be continued by the Selangor Government.

“The Master Agreement will be disclosed to the public, subject to the Freedom of Information Enactment of the State of Selangor with cooperation from the Federal Government,” he said.

NS