PETALING JAYA: As Selangor braces for water cuts due to emergency repair works at a treatment plant, residents in the affected areas aren’t in the least bit concerned.
They have saved enough water to last them for at least two days.
Klang resident Shalini Punadi has collected five containers of water.
“I will wash the laundry and clean the house before the water cut takes place,” she said.
The 37-year-old housewife said that the stored water was mainly for her toddler son’s needs.
“As for drinking water, we will just get mineral water,” Shalini said, adding that the house water tank was sufficient for three days’ need.
Chan Fei, 55, was “fed up” with the constant water cuts in Selangor.
“I get worried if it goes on for more than two days.
“The water from the Syabas trucks is dirty. It cannot be used for cooking.
“It is also frustrating because you can’t go out to eat as the restaurants will also not have water to cook or wash the dishes. The issue of hygiene then comes into question,” Chan said.
Chan only started storing water yesterday evening.
“It is still early, and those buckets take up a lot of space.”
Chan, who lives in USJ 3, urged the state government to “settle the water issue quickly”.
On Friday, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) announced that several areas in the Klang Valley would face water disruptions from tomorrow to Friday.
The shutdown will affect areas in Petaling, Klang, Shah Alam, Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Langat and Hulu Selangor.
USJ resident Jeremy Lee, a retiree, said he would prefer not to have electricity rather than a water cut as he could use a power generator.
“When there’s a water cut, the taps just run dry,” said the 60-year-old.
Mavis Pereira, 74, said since the water rationing exercise in 2014, she had five large water tanks stored at the back of the house.
“Now, I am not worried because Syabas gave us enough warning,” she said of the scheduled water cut in Taman Megah.
A Syabas official said the water disruption was for the scheduled maintenance of the Sungai Selangor Phase 3 (SSP3) Water Treatment Plant.
“It is to replace a major valve which is always breaking down,” he said.
He said the plant did not belong to the state government’s Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) but Gamuda Bhd, the major shareholder in Syarikat Pengeluar Air Sungai Selangor Sdn Bhd (Splash).
“We buy the water from them and when they shut down for the maintenance work, we won’t have water to distribute to our consumers,” said the Syabas official.
The state government is currently negotiating with Splash to take over the water concessionaire’s assets, which includes SSP3.
The state government has successfully taken over Selangor’s three other water concessionaires – Puncak Niaga Holdings Bhd, Konsortium Abbas Sdn Bhd and Syabas – in line with its water industry restructuring exercise.
