nakedeyeview.com.my 2007
It was a whiff of fresh air to read the report in our local dailies that Datuk S. Samy Vellu had admitted that there were water shortages in the Klang Valley (Feb 24,2004). This was certainly a rare occasion as Datuk S. Samy Vellu had always been adamant that the water supply in Klang Valley was impeccable. But he was well off the mark when he attributed rapid housing developments and financial constraints as the main causes of current water shortages.
In Klang Valley, water demands have always been projected based on an annual growth rate of about 6%. And water supply projects have therefore been planned well ahead and implemented to cater for these projected demands.
The projection on water demand and production for Selangor given in a study carried out by a reputable Malaysian water works consultant on “Water Demand Projection” completed in 2001 is shown in the Table below.
In Klang Valley, water demands have always been projected based on an annual growth rate of about 6%. And water supply projects have therefore been planned well ahead and implemented to cater for these projected demands.
The projection on water demand and production for Selangor given in a study carried out by a reputable Malaysian water works consultant on “Water Demand Projection” completed in 2001 is shown in the Table below.
Year |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
Demand (mld) |
3,326 |
3,519 |
3,723 |
3,940 |
4,170 |
4,413 |
4,671 |
Supply (mld) |
3,415 |
3,415 |
3,940* |
3,940 |
4,390# |
4,935@ |
4,935 |
* Additional water from SSP3/1
# Additional water from SSP3/2
@ Additional water from Inter-state water stage 1
Looking at the above Table, some water shortages last year were expected when additional supply was dependent on the timely completion of Sungei Selangor Water Supply Scheme Phase 3 Stage 1 (SSP3/1). Though the new treatment plant of 400mld (million liters per day) was completed last year it could not produce any significant amount of treated water because the dam was not fully charged. Therefore it was expected that some areas in Klang Valley would not receive adequate supply last year. Certainly water shortages were not due to rapid housing development as claimed by the Works Minister.
However, if water shortages were to persist this year in which the supply was projected to exceed demand, then the problems could either be due to inadequacies in water supply distribution networks or the new completed SSP3/1 water treatment is still unable to produce treated water to its maximum designed capacity. If it were due to the latter, water shortages would continue until the completion of Sungei Selangor Phase 3 Stage 2 (SSP3/2), which is expected to be in operation by 2005.
Year 2006 looks all right provided all the water treatment plants constructed under the Sungei Selangor schemes are able to run at their designed capacities.
The crunch will come in year 2007 when additional water production will depend entirely on the timely completion of the mammoth Pahang/Selangor raw water transfer scheme. This scheme was identified in the 80s and it was reported that works on the design was to have started in 1999 with construction scheduled to commence in 2001 for completion in 2006. It was also reported that the whole scheme would be financed with a loan from Japan. It is now 2004 and still no one has any inkling when this extremely important water transfer project is going to kick off. Even if the project starts now, it will take five years to complete and Klang Valley will be in dire straits from 2007 until 2009 when hopefully the project would be completed.
It is mind-boggling and inexplicable that there should be such a long delay in the implementation of this critical project. This unnecessary delay will cause untold sufferings to over four million consumers in the Klang Valley. I fear that there could be a
hidden agenda behind this undue delay.