By Zareef Muzammil
SHAH ALAM, March 18 — Selangor will use a more holistic approach to manage its water resources in anticipation of the high demand expected during the drought that is predicted to occur in 2025.
State executive councillor for infrastructure and public amenities Izham Hashim said the state would also focus on plans to collect floodwater and excess water from dams.
“The Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas) has come up with an inventory that has listed all the retention ponds and lakes in the state.
“We will utilise all the retention ponds and lakes listed as alternative water sources during the dry spells and the retention ponds under the existing Pond Water Pumping Operation (OPAK),” he said.
He said this during the winding up of debate in the Selangor State Legislative Assembly here yesterday.
The matter was raised by Sungai Air Tawar state assemblyman Datuk Rizam Ismail during yesterday’s debate session, which asked for an explanation from the state government regarding the preparations to face the drought.
Commenting further, Izham said they would also check all infrastructure related to water supply, such as pipelines and pumping systems, to ensure it could fully operate when needed later.
He added that Luas and the Mineral and Geoscience Department have also identified groundwater sources to be tapped during the expected dry spell.
“The state government with Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) will also intensify the water conservation campaign to ensure prudent water use.
“Air Selangor will also ensure that its facilities such as water tankers, pump houses and others are always in a state of readiness,” he added.
