Smelly water irks residents

Star: PETALING JAYA: The Star received hundreds of complaints of smelly tap water over the past two days from residents in the Klang Valley.
They phoned to say they couldn't drink, wash or cook with the water and some of them also said the water smelled of faeces.
The calls came from all over the Klang Valley, including Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Klang, Shah Alam, Kuala Selangor, Hulu Selangor and Kuala Langat – areas where water is supplied from Sungai Selangor.
In response to the complaints, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) said that dirty water from rivers and ponds, which overflowed into Sungai Selangor following the heavy rain on Sunday morning, caused the problem.
In a statement yesterday, Syabas said the overflow had caused an increase of ammonia in the raw water source from Sungai Selangor.
The operators at the three water treatment plants in Sungai Selangor had to increase the level of chlorine to bring down the ammonia level in the raw water – and the high chlorine content was what made the water smelly.
Syabas chief operations officer Lee Miang Koi said Syabas has informed the Selangor government of the source of the polluted raw water, since the supply of raw water was under the state’s jurisdiction.
Lee said Syabas has urged the state government to conduct a thorough study of Sungai Selangor and determine the cause of the sudden increase of ammonia in the river.
“Consumers need not worry. Based on tests done, treated water supplied to consumers is safe as it followed the standards set by the Health Ministry,” he added.
Currently, the ammonia level at the water source is back to normal and the overall situation is expected to return to normal in a day or two.