[ad_1]
KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR / ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Tempers flared in Malaysia as the public took to social media to express frustration over unscheduled water supply outages in parts of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur that began on Thursday (3 of September).
Authorities say the outage was caused by pollution emanating from a factory and the water supply is expected to be restored only after four days or more.
Selangor and the KL Federal Territory are the most densely populated areas in Malaysia, with around seven million people.
Selangor and KL share the same water resources, supplied by rivers and reservoirs in Selangor.
Four water treatment plants were closed on Thursday (September 3) due to odor contamination, said Pengurusan Air Selangor (Selangor Water Management) CEO Suhaimi Kamaralzaman.
Many consumers who expected supply to return on Friday (September 4) morning were disappointed to see that the taps remained dry.
Tanker trucks were deployed and images show people in long lines waiting to fill buckets and bottles of water.
Facebook user Mohd Saleh Johari asked why water outages kept happening.
“The same problem happens almost two or three times a year. Why can’t there be a permanent solution?” he said.
Priyah Narayansamy joined the chorus of complaints and asked why there was no backup plan in case of contamination.
“Obviously, the enforcement and action has had no effect as the problem continues to occur. There must be a follow-up of past offenders,” he said.
Another resident, Muhammad Rashid, said that more tanker trucks should be mobilized.
“There are many housing areas in Selangor, and people now have to compete for limited water supplies,” he said.
Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said authorities sealed off a factory believed to be the cause of the problem.
The same factory was fined RM60,000 (S $ 19,780) in March for a similar offense of pouring oil from heavy machinery into local drains that flow into the Sungai Gong River, said Hee Loy Sian, president of Selangor’s Environment, Green Technology. , Science. , Executive Committee of Technology and Innovation.
Some Malaysians have taken to Air Selangor’s Facebook to vent their anger.
One Facebook user, Zaidi Sihot, said that the factory should be closed for good.
“A compound (fine) is nothing to them, they will simply pay it. The government must be severe. For the profits, the people are the victim,” he said.
Another netizen, Delia Duarte, wanted the factory to be closed forever, and for the owners to be sued and jailed.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the government should amend the 2006 Water Services Industry Act and the Environmental Quality Act to establish tougher penalties for those who pollute water sources.
“Water sources must be classified under the security of the nation. It will be brought to the Cabinet,” he said in a tweet on Friday.
[ad_2]
