RAWANG: Authorities are expecting water supply will resume in stages starting tonight after the operations of four water treatment plants (WTP) had to be halted today due to pollution.
Water supply is expected to be fully restored by tomorrow.
State Tourism, Environment, Green Technology and Orang Asli Affairs Committee chairman Hee Loy Sian said works were underway to clean and dilute the chemical discharge in the water at the Rantau Panjang water treatment plant.
He said the foul odour measuring 8 Threshold Odour Number (TON) detected in the afternoon had been reduced to 4 TON as of 6pm.
"The reading at the three Sungai Selangor WTP (SSP1, SSP2 and SSP3) are still showing 4 TON at 6pm due to the 12-kilometre distance from the Rantau Panjang treatment plant to the three WTP," he said when met at the Indah Water Konsotium in Taman Velox, here.
Hee said efforts were being made to bring down the TON to zero.
"The plant is unable to process solvent and chemical discharges, thus we have opened the river gates for the flushing works. This can take about five hours," he said.
Hee also did not rule out the possibility of a sabotage by irresponsible quarters who had discharged chemical solvents into the manhole in the area.
"A police report has been lodged this afternoon over this latest incident," he said.
The shutdown of the four WTPs has disrupted water supply to 1,139,008 households located at 1,279 areas in seven districts in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
Hee also urged the Federal Government to intervene as this was the fourth incident involving the Indah Water Konsortium.
"There were two pollution incidents in Bukit Mahkota and one in Batang Kali prior to this.
"It's high time for IWK and the Federal Government to do something by making sure unscrupulous parties do not keep dumping effluent discharges or chemicals into IWK manholes.
"I hope IWK will be more responsible in managing their manholes, perhaps by putting in a lock system so that only permitted parties can access the manholes," he said, adding that the foul odour smelled like jackfruit and samples of the pink coloured discharge had been taken for testing.