By Danial Dzulkify
BESTARI JAYA, Feb 26 — Selangor’s Raw Water Guarantee Scheme (SJAM) is expected to be fully operational by August this year following the completion of most major works, said state executive councillor for infrastructure Izham Hashim.
He said presently, three out of the four packages under the project are nearly completed.
However, complications pertaining to works conducted at the Sungai Selangor Phase 1, 2 and 3 water treatment plants (WTPs) have resulted in a slight delay on the overall project completion date from the previous May projection.
“All other work packages, including Package C, which concerns the hybrid off-river system for all three aforementioned WTPs, are nearing completion.
“Packages B and D, involving the pumping stations in Bestari Jaya and Sungai Semenyih, are expected to be operational by the end of March.
“However, Package A, which involves all three Sungai Selangor WTPs, is facing some complications and is expected to be resolved by August,” he told reporters during a site visit to the Bestari Jaya SJAM pumping station, here, today.
Earlier, Izham also conducted a visit to the Sungai Semenyih WTP to examine the project’s progress there.
The four packages entail supplying, installing, testing and commissioning pumping systems and related works at various locations.
These locations include the Hybrid Off River Augmentation Storage (Horas) 600 facility in Bestari Jaya, Kuala Selangor; Rantau Panjang WTP in Kuala Selangor; Sungai Selangor Phase 1, 2 and 3 WTPs in Bestari Jaya; and Sungai Semenyih WTP in Jenderam Hilir.
SJAM is a state government initiative that aims to coordinate water management holistically across different agencies and government departments for a more comprehensive short- and long-term planning.
It comprises four components, namely raw water management by the Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas), clean water supply management by Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd, flood mitigation management by the Selangor Irrigation and Drainage Department, and wastewater management by Indah Water Konsortium.
The initiative also aims to address two major issues in the state — tackling water pollution in Sungai elangor and ensuring adequate raw water supply during dry seasons.
Meanwhile, Izham said the state has established a technical working group under SJAM, led by Luas, to oversee Selangor’s water supply readiness in facing the drought, which is expected to hit the country next year and in 2026.
“That is why we are aiming to ensure all water-related projects in the state are completed by next year, including the proposed interconnected system linking lakes with river basins,” he said.
He also reiterated the state’s assurance of a nine-month water supply to face any potential water shortages in the future.