Cause of Unprecedented Water Outage In Selangor Revealed To Be Rawang Factory

Yesterday (3 September) we were bombarded with the announcement by Air Selangor that seven areas (Kuala Lumpur, Petaling, Klang/Shah Alam, Kuala Selangor, Hulu Selangor, Gombak and Kuala Langat) in Klang Valley will face a water shortage due to odour pollution in a river.

The Rantau Panjang River Water Treatment Plant (LRA) was suspended at 7.15am while LRA Phase 1 (SSP1), Phase 2 (SSP2), Phase 3 (SSP3) also had to stop work at 9.00 in the morning of 3 September. This is due to odour pollution detected at a raw water source in Sungai Selangor.

It has been revealed by Kajang MP Hee Loy Sian that the cause of the pollution was a heavy-duty vehicle factory workshop located in Kg Sungai Dua, Rawang. The pollutant was said to be diesel.

Selangor MB Amirudin Shari has said in a tweet that the factory in question has since been closed and sealed.

“Authorities have been working hard since last night to ensure that the water is clean and safe for everyone.”

The methods that they are using now include the usage of activated carbon to reduce the smell of the pollutant, pumping 400 JLH of water from the Kolam Bestari Jaya and releasing water from the Sungai Tinggi dam to “flush” and “dilute” the pollution.

As of now, water is now being distributed to those who are affected by the outage. MP Hee Loy Sian says the number of affected people is at 1.2 million.

In his latest tweet, the Selangor MB has said that the factory has been fined by the state government. They will be investigating the matter for prosecution purposes.

For further information, stay updated on all of Air Selangor’s social media accounts such as their Twitter, Facebook and their website.

Also read: Air Selangor Confirms Water Disruption In 7 Areas In Klang Valley Due To River Pollution