Saturday 30 June 2012

Pigheadedness leading to water crisis

Things do not look good for the millions of people living in Klang Valley and Selangor as far as their water supply needs are concerned. Reports indicated that water reserve levels there were nearing zero. According to Syabas the demand for water in Selangor and Klang Valley currently stood at 4,364 million litres per day, which is razor thin close to the 4,371 litres maximum out put of the available water treatment plants.

The pigheededness of the PKR-led Selangor government is only making things worse.


Their unwillingness to cooperate with water suppliers and the relevent authorities in meeting the needs of increasing water supply to meet the increasing demand is pushing things to the brink and a possible water supply crisis, worse than the one in 1998 may be the end result soon.

As water tankers started to be deployed over the past weeks around the already affected areas, the State government continues to insist that everything is well and that water level at the dams is ok.

I was living in KL in 1998 when the water crisis hit back then. I remember old folks struggling to carry water buckets up to their flat units, people washing at streams etc etc. It was not even a permanent problem back then. Just an extremely hot weather drying up water supply. The authorities back then worked promptly to solve the problem. Then Works Minister S.Samy Vellu was on top of things at that time...if I was not mistaken. Still people suffered.

Johor government learned a thing or two from that crisis. It upgraded its water supply system to mitigate potential shortage at a huge cost. The loan it took for the endavour from the Federal government had at one point caused it to be accussed of going bankrupt. Still, Johor was hit with a spate of water shortage problems such as the one in central district of Kluang on Chinese New Year day three years ago. It almost turned into a racial issue as more than 50 per cent of Kluang population is Chinese. The State government was quick to react. It was after all a drought season which caused rivers in the district sunch as Sungai Semberong to be reduced to the size of a longkang. MB Ghani set the proposal and several months later, PM DS Najib Razak during his visit to Kluang announced that another water dam costing several million ringgit to be built near Kahang to avoid another water shortage in Kluang.

Now, I wonder if Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim can spare some time away from fending off the attacks by the Azmin Ali's faction to handle the looming water crisis set to hit his State and the Klang Valley, the so called bastion of PKR after 2008. Or maybe it's more conveniet to later on blame Najib and Umno and BN when the water shortage hits the rakyat?

6 comments:

  1. This pig is a cute pig unlike the one you posted on June 16. This one reminds me of. ...

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  2. According to the Meteorological Department's long range weather forecast, July will be the driest month and if nothing is done very soon and we in the Klang Valley are without water, I wonder whether the people who the of Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley will vote for at the next GE.

    These apparently small things in the minds of certain politicians are the most important things for ordinary people.

    Like every Saturday in Selangor is a no plastic bag day, in reality an environmental/ecological measure of questionable impact and effectiveness but which inconveniences the public on the day when most of us replenish our stock for the following week ahead.

    On the other hand, what has the Selangor State government done to encourage recycling by providing the required facilities for drop off and collection and how much as it done to encourage conservation.

    Instead it wants Selangor to appear like Australia but not do like Australia.

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  3. 1998, ah that year, sacking of that back door guy and water shortage. I have to carry water, collect from tanker to 4th.Floor. Very tiring, no lift..

    This time going to happen again.

    This is what will happen when all and everything is being politicised. This is what happen too, when public utility is being privatised and given to would be or implicated to be a crony. When government change hands, they might want their own cronies to run this utility.
    Is it all about Rakyat's welfare? Or is it about the MONEY that comes by, running these public utility?

    For the sake of Rakyat, this 'businesses' are not suppose to go broke, you know. We in Selangor get 20m3 free, paid by state. Whether it effect Syabas' coffer, we do not know. Really fed-up when politician, juggling with our welfare, using tax payer's money.

    Khazanah, GLC, KWSP, Tabung Haji, Ananda Krisnan, Robert Kwok, or the gomen is very eager to be of assistance.

    You know la, where got honey, sure there must be a lot of flies.
    Karam Singh Walia knows best, how to quote it in Malay.

    RD

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  4. How to manage water crisis when they cant even get garbage collection and maintenance of longkang right? The drains in my area are choked with grass and weeds that water cant flow! My mother has to pay people to cut the lalang on a piece of land which doesnt even belong to her , next to her house becoz she is being eaten alive by mosquitoes. Complaints after complaints fell on deaf ears eventhough a municipal councillor from PAS lives right opposite her! My sister had to keep her garbage in the house for a whole week with maggots crawling out becoz no one came to collect and the dogs were having a feast with her garbage and this doesnt happen once.These never happened b4 2008 and these are simple things and not about running the negara!!! Is PKR keeping the money of majlis perbandaran to use in the election and making us suffer? NO vote for you!!!

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  5. keep your intelligent to yourself...

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  6. That's a very nice tale you got there.

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