Azmin said the nine dams in the state were filled to between 98% and 100% capacity, including the Sungai Selangor, Sungai Tinggi, Sungai Semenyih, Sungai Klang Gate and Sungai Langat dams.
The PKR deputy president also hit out at the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry’s secretary-general Zaini Ujang, and challenged him to stand as candidate in the upcoming 14th general election (GE14).
“He is a secretary-general but speaks like a politician, when he has the responsibility to explain the facts to the people,” he said in his speech at the state-organised Karnival Himpunan Rakyat at Stadium Malawati here today.
“We have produced evidence to show that our dams are at 100% capacity and our reserves have increased from 3% to 6%,” he said.
“In two years, we have reduced non-revenue water from 33% to 30% because we replaced old pipes at a cost of RM500mil from state coffers,” he added.
Approached by reporters later, Azmin took Zaini to task for suggesting that the RM17 billion needed to finalise the water supply restructuring exercise in Selangor would be borne by the federal government through Pengurusan Aset Air Berhad (PAAB).
He said Zaini did not reveal that it would not be funded for free and that Selangor would have to surrender its water assets in equal value to PAAB.
“To suggest that only the federal government is forking out the RM17 billion and we are not doing anything is a very irresponsible statement made by a government officer,” he added.
“He is lying to the people as a government officer,” Azmin said.
Zaini had said yesterday that the RM17 billion spent by Putrajaya would also cover the acquisition of Syarikat Pengeluar Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (SPLASH).
He said a change in the Selangor government’s policy since 2008 had affected the implementation of several high-impact water supply projects when the restructuring exercise had yet to be finalised.
He added that this resulted in the people of Selangor being denied access to clean water despite huge investment by the federal government.
Government to bear RM17 billion for Selangor water restructuring