KUALA LUMPUR: Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Azmin Ali’s silence over the state’s water crisis, especially the accident which occurred at the Sungai Selangor Phase 3 water treatment plant (SSP3) in Ijok, yesterday, has come in for criticism from Gabungan Prihatin Semenyih (GPS).
The non-governmental organisation’s secretary, Hamdan Abu, has called on Azmin to issue a formal statement and launch an inquiry into the incident, which left five people injured.
He said Azmin, who is also chairman and Syarikat Air Selangor board member, should be more sensitive over the incident.
"To date, the Menteri Besar has yet to issue any official statement or response to the the accident, which has triggered the public’s concern over water disruptions.
" How long will the latest interruptions continue? What is the state's contingency plan to supply water to the people of the Klang Valley,” he said in a statement today.
Yesterday, five workers from Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) and other agencies were injured when the surge vessel system at the plant malfunctioned, triggering an explosion.
As a result of the incident, Syabas said there will be an extension to the expected recovery date for water supply to the affected areas in the Klang Valley. However, the company did not specify how long the period has been extended.
A total of 427 areas in the Klang Valley began experiencing water supply disruptions in stages from Tuesday. Apart from Shah Alam and Klang, also affected are areas in Kuala Lumpur, Gombak, Petaling, Hulu Selangor and Kuala Langat.
The water disruption was initially scheduled to be for three days.
Meanwhile, Hamdan said the NGO had previously suggested the establishment of a special committee to monitor water management operations in Selangor.
"GPS had previously suggested that the Selangor government set up an operations audit committee, comprising experts from various fields, to identify weaknesses in the standard operating procedures involving water management, based on current needs.
"We do not want a recurrence of the incident at SSP3 as this involves lives as well as the wellbeing of consumers in the Klang Valley,” he said.