Selangor Water Shortage: Consumers Taken Hostage

While the Selangor Government has agreed to allocate RM400 million to replace 422 km of old water pipes in stages since July until 2019 to solve water woes in the Klang Valley, hopefully in the meantime the consumers has to bear the difficulties of carrying out their daily lives?

Water is not merely a necessity. It is the source of life. All efforts should be directed for the Rakyat in Selangor, and holding them at ransom or political injustice. So why is Selangor facing water shortage and who is to be blamed?  

The Langat 2 Water Treatment Plant and Water Reticulation System concession in 2009 by the Federal Government would have been completed, however it was delayed due to polemics by the state government. It was to address the increasing demands for water by the population and the industries, especially during drought seasons. 

Under the concession agreement, the initial water tariff was tagged at very low rates, allowing for gradual increases in the interest of the public. These increases would provide additional revenue to the water companies for the maintenance of increased water supply and reduce leakages or non-revenue water (NRW). 

The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) promised free water or no increase in water tariff to win majority votes in Selangor. To achieve this, they intended to buy out the water companies and halted any increase in water tariff despite provisioned in the concession agreements, tantamount to breach of contract. 

The Selangor Government must be held responsible and accountable for the water shortage, yet as their usual traits, fast to deflect this problem and blames the Federal Government. 

The rakyat of Selangor will be dogged with water woes while the Selangor government unabashed. To make matters worse, in the interest of the public and the Malaysian economy, the Federal Government has to bear the financial costs and saves the day, while the state government reaps the credit.