The Star:
Minister: Penang morally obliged to pay Kedah for Sungai Muda water
ALOR SETAR: Penang is morally obliged to pay Kedah for the water it takes from Sungai Muda, says Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.
He said Penang has every right to draw water from Sungai Muda in its territory, but should realise that Kedah had also made efforts to protect the water catchment areas in the Ulu Muda forest.
"I have met the chief minister twice and told him that morally Penang has to pay Kedah as the latter has sacrificed in preserving thousands of acres of forest to ensure the water source is not destroyed," he told a press conference after officiating the PAS Wanita wing meet at Dewan Al-Hana in Sik on Friday (Sept 2).
He said because of this, the Kedah government lost potential revenue and should receive a token for its sacrifice.
Tuan Ibrahim said Penang’s attempt to get water from Perak was also futile, as northern Perak was facing water shortages, due to supply issues and drought.
He repeated his stance that Penang should tap into alternative sources of water, including underground reserves.
The water Penang draws water from Sungai Muda in Kepala Batas supplies about 80% of the state's population.
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kt comments:
Tuan Ibrahim may be the Environment and Water Minister but he has no clue as to riparian rights. Besides, as a PAS minister he obviously wants to rule in favour of a kakinang.
As Penang is rich and its neighbour is poor, Penang should help its neighbour. This is called 'neighbourliness' , taught in moral studies in Malaysian secondary schools. Penang government leaders oftentimes insist that they do no wrong as they draw water from the Penang side of the Muda River. Yes, they are right, but Kedah wants Penang to share the responsibility to preserve the vital catchment area.
ReplyDeleteDungu!
DeleteU should first check WHY Penang - a resource poor state is rich while Kedah, a resource rich state is languishingly poor.
Ooop… for a ketuanan f*ck, 'neighbourliness' is just yr manna from Allah entitlement excuse!
CK, you bastart....... Who is the 'Dungu' you are referring to?
DeleteCK, kau A.H
Delete.! Jangan sentuh agama , ok?
It is simply because Penang is managed by the opposition, that a hollowed out brainless minister would come to such a conclusion. Riparian righrs? What is that?
ReplyDeleteAnother example of melayu this, melayu that....
Penang has to start diversifying its water resources. Go and learn from Singapore. This water issue will always be a thorn on its side if left untended.
Look at Singapore's Newater. Yes, it maybe a turn off but with clever marketing, Singaporeans seem to accept Newater as a new tap for its supply of water.
Now if Malaysia were to threaten to shut down the supply of raw water from Johor, Singapore is not fazed.