Foul-smelling water resurfaces

Star: KUALA LANGAT: Foul-smelling water has resurfaced in Selangor, and this time the places affected are residential areas around Banting such as Taman Datuk Hormat, Taman Chempaka and Taman Damai.
Other areas include Taman Muhibbah, Taman Delima, Taman Kanchong Laut, Taman Setia Jaya and Taman Langat Jaya, with residents claiming they had to bear with murky brown water since last Saturday.
Some claimed they developed skin irritation after using the water for washing and bathing.
This comes just six weeks after leachate from a landfill flowed into Sungai Selangor – Klang Valley's main drinking water source.
Housewife Che Bedah Che Wan, 43, said her children complained of itchiness after taking their bath.
She said it happened last Saturday morning, when the tap water turned light brown.
“I left the water to run and it took two hours to become clear,” said Che Bedah, adding that her children developed the skin irritation in the evening.
Housewife G. Mahadewi, 38, who lives in Taman Sri Putra, said murky water had come out of her tap on Thursday at about 6am.
“It smelled similar to that of rotting fish and after 10 minutes the water became clear,” she said.
She added that the same situation occurred again yesterday and it was experienced throughout the 300 households in the neighbourhood.
Taman Damai stall operator Chong Ah Kin, 56, said water quality had deteriorated since Saturday with sediments flowing out from the taps.
In Taman Datuk Hormat in Teluk Panglima Garang, housewife G. Kavitha Norah, 32, said the same brownish coloured water was flowing with a strong pungent smell from the taps since Thursday.
“It lasted for some time and later became clear but the smell remained,” she said, adding that she also bought filtered water.
Her neighbour K. Neelambigai, in her late 40s, said her washed clothes were stained due to brown sediments.
“Our health has also been affected. Most of the people who drank the water from the taps have suffered sore throats,” she said.
Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor chief operating officer engineer Lee Miang Koi said his firm was aware of the situation.
“We conducted a manual flushing and a better quality of water has resume and safe for use,” he said.
Lee advised consumers to call the Puspel toll free line at 1-800-88-5252, which operates 24-hours, or SMS to 39222 by typing PUSPEL to obtain a quick reply.