Media statement by Charles Santiago in Klang on Friday, 20^th July 2012:

Are questionable numbers being used to manufacture water crisis?

Chinese Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu said "nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water", obviously referring to its nature which can flow through even the hardest of rocks.

In the case of Malaysia, the pattern of water flow is what we need to bank on, among other data, to obtain authentic numbers to check if Syabas has indeed been manufacturing a water crisis and triggering panic amongst the seven million people who reside in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, by furnishing us with unverified numbers.

In the last few days, the water crisis rhetoric reached unprecedented levels when Syabas linked infrastructure - NGOs, local print and electronic media and elements within the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water ¨C collectively screamed that water rationing was imminent.

Given the track record of Syabas and the close links shared between the Selangor Water Association (SWAn), Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Air Negara (SPAN) and the ministry, we need real answers.

The Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water announced that the cabinet will form a special committee to monitor the water situation in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

But again, the information involving water demand and supply will come from Syabas. It is their numbers that is being bandied by all stakeholders-numbers, and as I said, simply cannot be relied upon.

The Coalition Against Water Privatisation has secured the services of water professionals and academics to verify the claims made by Syabas. But they cannot rely on dubious data obtained through Syabas to make an informed decision as to whether the water crisis is real and water rationing necessary.

Therefore, we request Syabas, SPAN, the Ministry of Energy. Green Technology and Water and the Selangor state government to answer the following questions.

The information required include:

• Outflow of raw water from dams and pumping stations into treatment plants: we need to know the quantities of raw water from the dam to the river intakes and pumping stations to the treatment plants for the following dams and treatment plants: namely Sg Selangor dam (SSP1, SSP2, SSP3 and Rasa), Sg Langat dam (Sg Langat Treatment Plant) , Sg Semenyih dam (Sg Semenyih Treatment Plant), and Sg Tinggi Dam (connected and feeding into SSP1, SSP2, SSP3, Rasa) from January 1, 2012-July 15, 2012;

• Meter readings of the outflow of treated water into respective treatment plants for the same period;

• Meter reading of the outflow of treated water to consumers distribution system (via Syabas)

• Certified log books & calibrated meters ¨C Certified copies of log books involving daily pumping output for each of the treatment plants. Accuracy of meters duly certified by those responsible for supplying, installing, commissioning and maintaining the equipment has to be ensured.

• Electricity bills from January 1, 2012- July 15, 2012.

• Chemical usage for the same period.

• Puncak Niaga payment bills to Syabas for water sold for the same period.

Clearly, a water war is looming between the BN Federal government and Pakatan Rakyat Selangor state government. The devil is in the details. And let me repeat that the critical question to ask is how legitimate are the Syabas numbers.

Syabas sponsored water NGO Selangor Water Association (Swan), using Syabas records, noted that average water demand in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya has increased to 4,329 million litres per day (MLD) but the maximum operating and distributable capacity of the water treatment plants including Sungai Labu water treatment plant is 4,371 MLD.

This suggests that the 33 treatment plants in the state have reached zero reserve capacity.

The solution to the water crisis, according to the Syabas 'water crisis apparatus', is the construction of a new treatment plant, raising nagging suspicions that the events of the last few weeks, including the soft water rationing, were manufactured to secure new water deals such as the interstate water transfer and Langat 2 that would cost RM8.9 billion.

We have seen similar examples in the case of now-defunct US energy giant Enron which engineered an energy crisis to secure lucrative energy deals in the US?

Therefore, the Coaliation Against Water Privatisation will give a grace period of 12 days to these parties to furnish the information required, failing which we reserve the right to secure legal recourse and send a petition to the King.

Lao Tzu also said that while water is most flexible and yielding than anything in the world, when it attacks the firm and strong, none can withstand it. Syabas and its other associates must know that, at the end of this manufactured drama, the people would remain the most powerful.

And now, they demand to know the truth.

* Charles Santiago, MP for Klang