Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui has dismissed a proposal by the Selangor government to channel raw water from the Kenyir dam to the state, saying that it was not a “constructive” option.
Chin said the state government need not go through with the suggestion as many studies have been done by the ministry to solve the water issues in the state.
“I think the idea to transfer water from the Kenyir dam is not constructive. The more constructive solution is the project which was agreed upon earlier by the previous state government to address the problem,” he said, referring to the stalled Langat 2 water treatment plant project.
Chin said it was a waste that the project had to be shelved when it was already approved and started by the previous state government run by Barisan Nasional.
“There is no use in flip flopping over the solution to the problem,” he told reporters after launching the 2012 General Electric-Naza Electric Vehicle Experience event at KLCC here on Tuesday.
However, Chin said the ministry had no objection if the state government wanted to build a new dam and portable water treatment plants.
“If they can afford to do this, we have no problems with it,” he said.
It was reported that Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said channelling raw water from the Kenyir dam in Terengganu to Selangor was an option over the costly Langat 2 water treatment plant project.
Khalid claimed that the cost of channelling water from the Kenyir dam was only about RM700mil compared to the RM5bil needed to channel water from Sungai Pahang.
He said water from the Kenyir dam could be transferred by installing pipes along gas pipes that ran from Terengganu to Pahang, Johor, Malacca and Penang.