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PULAU KETAM: A member of parliament says he will push for an emergency motion in Parliament to debate the water woes of 8,000 residents of Pulau Ketam and Sungai Lima if the problem is not solved by Tuesday.

Kapar MP S. Manikavasagam, who visited both villages yesterday, said Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) had said the problem would be rectified within 10 days when the supply was disrupted on Oct 13.

Almost three weeks later, he said, the problem has begun to affect business on the island, a popular weekend dining spot for both Malaysians and foreign tourists.

He plans to raise the matter with Klang MP Charles Santiago.

“We will attempt to push for an emergency motion to debate the crisis, which is a matter of public interest,” he said, adding that he would also try to meet with Energy Water and Communications Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor in Parliament to discuss the problem.

The villagers of Sungai Lima yesterday said they have been using rain water to supplement the fresh water brought to the island by Syabas.

Village head Tan Chui Cheng said water was delivered to Sungai Lima every three or four days but not according to a fixed schedule.

“Syabas sends us water at no fixed time, and what we get is barely enough for two days,” he said.

Kor Teck Tze said they have resorted to praying for rain, but only at night.

“If it rains in the day, we also get water but we can’t go out to fish.”

On Tuesday, Syabas corporate communications general manager Abdul Halem Mat Some said that the water supply should be restored by next week.

He said a shipping lane into Port Klang would be closed on Thursday so divers could find a leak on a 1.5-kilometre stretch of underwater pipe that supplies fresh water to the island.

He said the pipe would be floated to locate the leak and repairs would take another two days.

He said Syabas has rented three vessels at a cost of RM800,000 to supply water to the island.

source: nstonline