PM: Don’t let it happen again
The Star – 17/4/2006
KUALA LUMPUR: The Prime Minister does not want a recurrence of the raw water contamination at Sungai Semenyih that will disrupt water supply to the people.  
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said there must be follow-up action and continuous monitoring to ensure that leacheate from a nearby landfill did not contaminate rivers or water sources.   
He was commenting on the high ammonia levels found in the river, forcing the Sungai Semenyih treatment plant near Kajang to be shut down on Sunday. As a result, water supply to thousands of households in Selangor was cut off for several hours.   
Abdullah was, however, satisfied with the prompt action taken by Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) to rid the ammonia traces.   
“They have taken action to reduce ammonia in the water to a level that is no longer dangerous. I appreciate the speedy action taken.   
“I hope it is effective but there must be follow-up action and continuous monitoring so that contamination won’t happen again,” he told reporters after launching the Rakan Cop programme at the national level at Dataran Merdeka here yesterday.  
According to Syabas, the Sungai Semenyih treatment plant was shut down due to high ammonia levels in the water, caused by leacheate from the Bukit Chembong landfill near Bangi Lama.  
Areas which experienced water supply disruption on Sunday were the Petaling, Hulu Langat, Kuala Langat and Sepang districts. The incident was the second raw water contamination case in Selangor this year.  
The first incident occurred in February when high levels of ammonia in Sungai Selangor caused tap water in several areas in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley to smell of faeces.  
Asked whether there should be stricter laws to check pollution of water sources, Abdullah said enforcement was being taken to prevent the dumping of rubbish into water sources or drains.   
Source: The Star | http://thestar.com.my