Despite it being two years since the prime minister announced plans for the RM105 million Kahang Dam to alleviate water shortage woes in Kluang, DAP political strategist Liew Chin Tong claims the people in Kluang are still in the dark as to the status of the project, while water shortage remains a problem.

"After more than two years, the people of Kluang are still not informed on any latest development of the Kahang Dam project. Every year, during drought, thousands of Kluang residents suffer without enough water," he said.

NONE Liew ( left ), who is also Kluang MP, said in a statement yesterday that when he raised the question in Parliament, he was informed that the dam is only slated to be completed in November 2016, with construction expected to take 36 months.

On his question as to whether a detailed environmental impact assessment (DEIA) was carried out, he said he was told that the terms of reference for the DEIA was presented to the Department of Environment on March 27, this year.

Liew urged the Johor state and federal government to keep the rakyat informed and their feedback taken into account, especially in view that "it is eating into hundreds of millions of ringgit of the people's money and that their daily lives will be influenced by how this project is carried out".

"It is important that the public be given detailed information and told the latest development of the project. At least information on the project should be aired for the knowledge of the people in Kluang and Kahang," he said in the statement.

Consult the affected communities

Stating that the dam will be located near the Kahang Timur Felda and an Orang Asli settlement, Liew said that the government must conduct a public discussion with the two communities before the project can be implemented.

The MP also raised concerns over significant leakages through non-revenue water (NRW).

"I also urge the government to allocate a budget to deal with problems arising from non-revenue water wastage, which is still high in Johor."

He claimed that under the state privatised water firm Syarikat Air Johor, 35 percent of treated water is lost due to pipe leaks, theft and other reasons.

"There is no point using up hundreds of millions in ringgit to build the dam but at the same time, treated water does not reach consumers' homes due to leaks or theft," he said.