'Shit' water, ministry's finger points back at Syabas

Sun PETALING JAYA: The Department of Environment (DOE) has taken Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) to task for failing to ensure that ammonia level in its treatment process does not breach the permitted standard.

In a release yesterday, DOE said the water supply company, to date, does not have facilities to treat the ammonia parameter.

Responding to a newsreport in which Syabas had refuted Mineral Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid's contention that it (Syabas) was responsible for the water supply, the DOE said:

"Syabas is also fully responsible to ensure that river water taken in for water supplies is treated to adhere to the drinking water quality standards set by the Health Ministry before it is distributed to consumers.

"Syabas should have treated the river water to ensure the ammonia parameter adhered to permissible level set by the Health Ministry, or stop the water intake until the ammonia level in the river returned to normal.

"Besides adhering to these standards, it is also reasonable for Syabas to carry out monitoring on the physical elements of the water like its smell, taste and the colour of the water before it is distributed to the consumers to ensure customer satisfaction.

"In the Feb 25, 2006, incident, the ammonia content in the untreated river water was at 9.2mg/l level, far surpassing the 1.5mg/l permissible level set by the Health Ministry.

"The high ammonia level in the water taken in to be supplied to the consumers had reacted with the chlorine chemicals used for water processing, resulting in smelly water."