BANGI, 26 FEB: In the first five years of its administration, the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) State Government managed to stop the increase in water tariffs twice to defend the fate of the people.
According to the 2004 Water Privatisation Agreement, the Selangor Water Supply Company (Syabas – Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor) was allowed to increase water tariffs every three years, once in 2009 by 37 percent followed by 2012 (25 percent), 2015 (20 Percent) and so on.
Local Government, Research and Development Exco, Ronnie Liu said that the State Government had acted to stop the increase in tariffs because they realised that it only profits Syabas and its stakeholders.
“From 2008 to 2013, Syabas has the right to increase water tariffs twice to about 60 percent. If we look at the price increases, every family in Selangor in the past five years have already saved RM1,200.
“This is because of the 20 cubic metres of free water worth RM11,40 per month. Within a year, (the people have) already saved hundreds of ringgit.
“Families who do not use individual metres have also profited because water tariffs have not increased. Although they do not enjoy free water, they still save RM800 in five years,” he said at the Water for The People Forum here last night.
Ronnie said that the people of Selangor should not be worried because the state has enough water reserves for the next few years and that they do not need the Langat 2 plant project at this time.
According to him, the water storage in dams such as those at Sungai Selangor, Sungai Tinggi, Sungai Semenyih, Sungai Langat, Klang Gate, Subang and so on are full of water.
“We have 35 plants which are all operating well. According to the plant specifications, we can obtain optimal capacity of 4.832 million litres of water per day.
“If you compare it with distribution statistics, 4,546 million litres per day. This means that we have excess capacity by six percent. We do not have water shortages or a water crisis. We only have a crisis created by Umno-BN with the help of Syabas,” he said.
Meanwhile, Senator Syed Shahir Syed Mahmud said that the Selangor water crisis that was hyped up was only an Umno-BN political play through the controlled mainstreamed media.
“Kak Ros (Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor) carried a bucket. We never thought that Kak Ros will carry a bucket. That is just political theatrics.
“Your confidence towards the administration (Pakatan Rakyat) which is fair and equitable, must go on. If there is a problem in Selangor, we can solve it. In fact (we have solved) problems in other places, such as the water shortage in Pahang and Johor.
“He (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) was busy in Kelantan, but in his own place there was no water. The Prime Minister, in his own state there is no water,” he said.