KUALA LUMPUR - Water supply has been mostly restored to three-quarters of districts in the Kuala Lumpur federal territory and Selangor state that had been hit hard by a supply cut from last Thursday, officials said on Monday (Sept 7).
The water supply was abruptly cut as pollution threatened four water treatment plants in Selangor.
Pengurusan Air Selangor (Selangor Water Management) said water supply in 973 areas, or 75.31 per cent, of 1,292 affected areas in seven regions around the Klang Valley had been restored as at 12.30pm on Monday, the company said in a statement on its website.
Restoration of supply in the remaining 319 areas is ongoing.
"We advise consumers not to store and use an excessive amount of water so as to ensure a smooth recovery process in other affected areas according to the Air Selangor restoration plan," the statement said.
Millions of residents and businesses in Klang Valley - as the districts in KL and Selangor are called - were up in arms over the unscheduled supply cuts.
The four water treatment plants were shut down after pollution was detected in Sungai Gong. A heavy-machinery maintenance factory had allegedly poured used industrial oil into drains that flowed into the river.
Sungai Gong is a tributary of Sungai Sembah, which flows into Sungai Selangor that supplies water to the four treatment plants, Bernama news agency reported.
Selangor and the KL federal territory share the same water resources, supplied by rivers and reservoirs in Selangor.
Meanwhile, a Magistrate's Court on Monday ordered two factory workers, aged 20 and 57, to be remanded for six days for investigations into the pollution.
Last Saturday, four factory managers - brothers aged between 50 and 60 - believed to be responsible for the maintenance factory were remanded for six days over the same issue.
The Malaysian government is to set up soon an environmental crimes unit to tackle illegal activities that threaten the country's natural resources, said Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.
He said plans are in place to coordinate efforts between his ministry, the police and the armed forces to protect precious resources from being polluted and affecting the country's security.
In a related development, the factory believed to be behind the water pollution incident has been operating without a licence since 2014, the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) said, as quoted by Malay Mail online news.
Angry members of the public had asked why a company without proper a business licence could have operated illegally for years.
MPS corporate department director Mohamad Zin Masoad said the factory had never applied for a licence since it started operating six years ago.
He said the factory was among 308 others which have been operating illegally in areas under MPS jurisdiction, with these businesses given a period of time to legalise their operations.
