PARLIAMENT Some 36.8 percent of the Kelantan population are still without treated water from the public water supply system said Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Maximus Ongkili.

He said based on last year’s statistics, the state with the second highest was Sabah with 14 percent followed by Sarawak (6.2 percent), Terengganu (4 percent), Pahang (2 percent), Kedah (1.7 percent), Perlis (0.5 percent), Johor, Selangor (0.2 percent), Negeri Sembilan and Penang (0.1 percent).

Maximus said this when replying to a question from Aaron Laga Dagang (BN-Kanowit) who wanted to know if the piped water quality achieved the international standard requirement as well as the percentage of people in the country still not receiving treated water, during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat in Kuala Lumpur today.

He added that on the average, the level of coverage for public water supply in the country was 96.2 percent with urban areas recording 96.7 percent and rural areas 95.6 percent.

Maximus said all water operators in the country must ensure that treated water quality supplied through public water supply system complied with the standards set by the Health Ministry’s National Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality Standards.

“The guidelines were established based on the standards set by the World Health Organisation (WHO),” he said.

Maximus said that generally the quality of water supplied through the water treatment plants complied with the minimum parameters set by the guidelines, and the level of compliance by water operators for 2014 was 96.46 percent.

“The government and all water operators are stepping up efforts to upgrade the plants and distribution systems in stages and according to priority so that the water quality is safe for consumers,” he said.

- Bernama