He said this included Perak wanting to prioritise its own needs first before supplying water to Penang, calling it a policy that needs to be respected.

“There is nothing wrong with the stand taken by Perak to prioritise the needs of the state first.

“We will see if there really is a large surplus, the projection, as well as the needs for the next five or 10 years. All of that will be studied scientifically.

“Only then will we 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 was responding to a question about Perak not being ready to negotiate with Penang regarding the supply of water.

On Dec 1 last year, Perak menteri besar Saarani Mohamad said the state would maintain its stand on not supplying water to Penang even though the state government now comprised representatives from Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Earlier in his speech, Anwar said Malaysia should not face any water supply issues during the dry weather because the country had abundant water and rainfall every year.

Anwar instructed the natural resources, environment and climate change ministry to find the best way to address any water supply problems during the dry weather, including studying methods used in other countries.

“What is the point of having intelligence and wisdom but not using them?

“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.