IPOH, March 11 — Any decision by Perak government regarding water supply to Penang will be studied in detail, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said any decision by Perak including wanting to prioritise the state’s needs first before supplying water to Penang is a policy that needs to be respected.
“For Perak to prioritise the needs of the state first, there is nothing wrong with that policy.
“We will see if there really is a large surplus, the projection, as well as the needs of five years, 10 years, all of that will be studied scientifically, only then we will make a decision,” he told reporters after officiating the national-level World Water Day 2023 celebration at the Indera Mulia Stadium here.
Themed ‘Accelerating Change’, the event was also attended by Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.
Anwar said this when asked about Perak not being ready to negotiate with Penang regarding supplying water to its neighbouring state.
On December 1, last year, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said that the state would not supply water to Penang even though the state government is now comprised of Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) representatives.
Earlier in his speech, Anwar said Malaysia should not face water supply issues during the dry weather because the country has abundant water and rainfall every year.
Accordingly, Anwar instructed the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change to find the best measures to address any problems during the dry weather including studying the methods used in other countries.
“What is the point that we have intelligence and wisdom but not using them. Nik (Nik Nazmi) I don’t want to hear that there is no water when there is dry weather next year, because our country receives heavy rainfall,” he said.
— Bernama
