Diesel pollution brings to halt operations of water treatment plants and forces taps to dry up.
Dr Xavier Jayakumar says the police have found elements of sabotage in the contamination of Sungai Selangor, which has caused major water disruptions in the Klang Valley.
“I was informed that the police have identified elements of sabotage,” said the Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister in a tweet on Monday (July 22).
“After discussing with the Inspector-General of Police (Abdul Hamid Bador), I appeal to the police to conduct an investigation.
“I wish to ensure that the mastermind behind this incident is apprehended and punished according to the law,” he added in a statement.
The contamination had resulted in the shutdown of Sungai Selangor Water Treatment Plant Phases 1, 2 and 3 and the Rantau Panjang Water Treatment Plant between 6pm and 8.15pm yesterday evening.
The plants were back in operation at 3.30am this morning.
Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd’s head of the Customer Relations and Communication Department Abdul Raof Ahmad said in a statement that the source of the pollution was the sand digging activities at the upper reaches of the river and the incident had been reported to the authorities.
Selangor’s sand mining concessionaire Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB) also did not rule out the possibility of sabotage.
“We are currently investigating the cause of the incident from all angles, including the possibility of sabotage, and will provide additional information in due time,” it said.
Semesta said it detected the diesel spills in the Sungai Selangor area near the Hang Tuah Lake on July 21 at around 6.15pm.
This came just a day after operations at the water treatment plants were restored following odour pollution suspected to be discharged from workshops near Sungai Liam in Batang Kali.
“This is the second incident within three days involving the closure of all four major water treatment plants and causing large scale water supply disruption to the customers,” said Abdul Raof, referring to a similar action taken on Friday following odour pollution.
He said Air Selangor could not ascertain the time frame for recovery if similar pollution of raw water resources recurred.
More than a million households were affected by the water cut on Friday and while the water treatment plants became operational on Saturday, water was only fully restored to all customers yesterday.
However, the taps had to be turned off again within hours of full water supply resumption due to the latest incident.
Meanwhile, the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) will open an investigation paper and take action on those who are identified responsible for the odour pollution in the Sungai Selangor raw water source causing three of Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) water treatment plants to be shut down last Friday (19th July).
Xavier in a statement today said SPAN as the regulatory body for the water supply and sewerage services will conduct the investigation according to the Water Services Industry Act 2006 (Act 655).
“The agencies under the ministry, namely SPAN, Department of Irrigation and Drainage and Indah Water Konsortium has been accelerating the recovery including identifying sources of the pollution through tests conducted in Batang Kali, Selangor on Saturday,” he said.
He also suggested relevant agencies such as the Department of Environment under the Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC) and other state government agencies to take proactive measures through continuous auditing activities and enforcement along the rivers nationwide.
“All parties and relevant agencies should play a role in preventing activities that could harm the river which is the main raw water source of the country. The task of conserving water resources is not the duty of only one particular government agency,” he said.
SPAN chairman Charles Santiago said it was a crime under Section 121 of the Water Services Industry Act 2006 to cause water to be contaminated.
Earlier, state Environment, Green Technology and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Hee Loy Sian said illegal factories and workshops in Batang Kali would be ordered to close down if they were found to be the source of the river pollution.
He has directed the Hulu Selangor District Council to inspect all premises in the area to find those involved in discharging effluent into waterways.
“We also suspect the culprit could have flushed the effluent down the toilet, as a sewage treatment plant in Batang Kali was covered in black oil.
“We take this issue very seriously because it caused massive water supply disruption and put the public at risk,” he said.
Hee called on the council to look at alternative sites to relocate the factories and workshops in the area.
He also urged the local councils and Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas) to press for a maximum penalty under the existing laws to serve as a deterrent.