Federal gov't to help K’tan if water supply critical due to El Nino

comments     Bernama     Published     Updated

The federal government will assist Air Kelantan Sdn Bhd (AKSB) if the water supply in the state drops to a critical level as a result of El Nino.

Rural and Regional Development Deputy Minister Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub said under the Eleventh Malaysia Plan (11MP), the federal government had approved RM30 million for the Kelantan state government to resolve its water woes.

"If the allocation is insufficient in light of El Nino, the federal government will consider giving an additional allocation," he told reporters after launching a seminar to uphold Islam as the official religion in Malaysia at Sekolah Menengah Sains Machang in Machang today.

More than 1,000 partipants, comprising teachers and community leaders attended the seminar.

Ahmad Jazlan, who is also member of parliament for Machang, was commenting on AKSB's plan to source for underground water through the use of tube wells to overcome possible shortage of water supply as a result of El Nino.

Kelantan public works, utility and information technology committee chairperson Hanifa Ahmad was reported as saying there were currently more than 30 tube wells capable of supplying water to the 33 treatment plants in the state.

Ahmad Jazlan, who is also Kelantan Umno liaison deputy chairperson, said the federal government had always focused on assisting the state to overcome its water dilemma.

"Even without the El Nino threat, water supply is still a problem in Kelantan and frequently disrupted due to ageing and rusty pipes that had not been replaced for years," he added.

- Bernama



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