Khalid Ibrahim's claim that the state had sufficient water supply to meet its demand until 2019 is not accurate and misleading, said Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Peter Chin Fah Kui.

Chin said the National Water Resources Study Report 2000-2050 published by the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) projected that Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya would be facing water shortage by the end of 2014.

This is due water demand in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya is projected to increase to 4,907 million litre per day (mld) against the capacity at 4.431 mld, he said, adding that, this would create a shortage of 476 mld.

He said the report also projected an average increase of treated water demand in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya of between two and 3.5 per cent per annum.

As such, the raw water transmission project from Pahang to Selangor should be carried out immediately to meet the growing demand, he said in a statement.

Syabas joins chorus

Meanwhile Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) chief executive officer Ruslan Hassan said the water supply capacity in the three regions was 4,326 million litres per day (mld) and the average production between June 1 and July 11, was 4,086 mld.

"This shows that the reserve capacity is only 240 mld or 5.9 percent," he said today.

Ruslan said, with the increase of four per cent in demand over the first six months this year, the water supply reserve would continue to drop and become critical.

"This is very worrying, especially if there is a serious drought or if the raw water supply in the water catchment area or rivers is badly polluted, which can cause the water treatment plants to be closed," he said.

He said several water treatment plants are forced to continue non-stop operations beyond their original capacities over the past few years to meet consumer needs.

These included the Sungai Langat water treatment plant which had been operating for 450 mld, despite its original capacity of 386 mld, and the Semenyih water treatment plant which was operating for between 580-620 mld despite its capacity of 565 mld.

"Hence, the water treatment plants could hardly undergo maintenance works on time, for fear the water supply would be affected," said Ruslan.

Khalid: 35% water wasted

Khalid in return called on Syabas to reduce the Non-Revenue Water (NRW) rate to overcome water shortage problems in Selangor.

He said now, for every 100 gallons of treated water produced by the company, only 65 percent could be sold to consumers while the remaining 35 percent was lost due to leakages.

"The NRW rate should be reduced to 15 percent like in Penang. This is one of the reasons for water shortages in Selangor," he told a press conference after chairing the state executive council's weekly meeting here today.

He added that the state government would also be conducting a study on water consumption in Selangor as it found Syabas' projections on the matter were not very accurate.

 - Bernama