Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) should have stopped taking water from the river if the quality was not up to the required standard, said the Department of Environment (DOE) today.

"Apart from abiding to the standard, Syabas should also monitor the physical aspects such as smell, taste and colour before supplying the water to consumers," the department was quoted as saying by Bernama.

Syabas, it added, was fully responsible in ensuring that the river water taken was treated to meet the standards set by the Health Ministry.

The department was reacting to an article in Malay daily Berita Harian yesterday over the water supply from Sungai Selangor (right) which consumers complained was foul smelling.

It was earlier stated that the smell was due to the increased levels of ammonia in the water - caused by the heavy rains - reacting with the chlorine.

In the article, Syabas chief executive Rozali Ismail said it was the DOE's responsibility to carry out initial tests to ensure that the status of the river water was at safe levels and if there was contamination, the company should be informed immediately in order to take remedial measures.

Lacking the facilities

However, DOE said in the Feb 25 incident, which affected the water supply to the Klang Valley, the ammonia content in the untreated water was registered at 9.2 mg/I, exceeding the Health Ministry's standard of 1.5mg/I.

"Because of this, Syabas should have treated the water for the ammonia parameter to achieve the set standard or refrained from taking the water until the ammonia content returned to normal.

"It is understood that at present, the water treatment system managed by Syabas does not have the facility to treat the ammonia parameter," it added.

According to DOE, it is only responsible to ensure that the release of 'effluen' from sources of contamination was within the standards stipulated in the Environment Quality Act 1974.

"Enforcement measures will be taken by DOE against any parties involved if there was a transgression in relation to the stipulated standards," it said.