Selangor ready to call in Canadian consultant to explain water membrane technology

October 23, 2012

SHAH ALAM, Oct 23 — The Selangor government is prepared to call in a consultant from Canada appointed by the state to explain water membrane technology to Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and the relevant agencies.

“We are willing to call the Canadian expert to brief him (Muhyiddin), officials from the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) and water experts from the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry on this technology.”

Khalid (picture) said this after handing over sacrificial cows in conjunction with the Aidiladha celebration at the Selangor Islamic Religious Department here, today.

Yesterday, Muhyiddin said the Selangor government’s proposal to use water membrane technology to overcome the water supply shortage in the state was impractical and would involve a higher cost that could reach RM3 billion.

The deputy prime minister had said this after being briefed by the ministry’s water experts when visiting the Langat 2 Water Treatment Plant (Langat 2) project site.

Hence, Muhyiddin wants the state government to approve the Langat 2 project to meet the water supply demand in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya which is expected to increase by 3.5 per cent to 4.0 per cent each year.

Khalid, however, said that membrane technology was inexpensive and very competitive, and had been used in some Middle Eastern countries to process sea water into raw water.

He said by using the technology, Selangor would have sufficient water supply without having to buy water from Pahang.

“Perhaps seven years ago, membrane technology was expensive as it was new but not anymore now. Through this technology too, we will be able to increase our water capacity by building the facilities next to the existing water treatment plants in Selangor.

“The use of this technology can add one million cubic metres of water daily but incurring only one-third the cost of building Langat 2.”

Khalid said the Selangor government’s stand remained: it was not against the building of Langat 2 but that it must be in accordance with the restructuring of the water services industry in the state, which had been hampered by the lack of cooperation from the federal government and the state’s water concessionaires.

Earlier, Khalid handed over 756 cows contributed by the state government’s subsidiary companies to be given to mosques in the state in conjunction with Aidiladha. — Bernama