Syabas prepares five-year master plan

Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (SYABAS) has prepared a five-year master plan (2015-2019) involving capital expenditure of RM4.3 billion.

The master plan is in preparation to take over the management of the water industry in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya by the Selangor government, which is expected in September.

SYABAS executive chairman Tan Sri Rozali Ismail said a key component of the plan was to increase the treated water supply capacity by at least 25 per cent (1,600 million litres per day) which required a total expenditure of around RM1.9 billion.

"If the operation and maintenance of water plants administered by Puncak Niaga through SYABAS could be handed over to Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary company under the Selangor government on Sept 13, SYABAS will present and discuss this plan with the Selangor government.

"But if this matter is delayed again (no hand-over on Sept 13), SYABAS will still present the plan to the Selangor and federal goverments (Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water)," he told a press conference here, today.

Rozali, who is also Puncak Niaga (M) Sdn Bhd executive chairman, said Sept 13 is the deadline for the federal and Selangor governments to solve the related problems regarding the hand-over of the water industry following the signing of the Supplementary Agreement to the Water Industry Restructuring Master Agreement on July 10.

The signing of the Supplementary Agreement involving the federal government, Selangor government, Pengurusan Aset Air Berhad (PAAB) and Air Selangor saw the parties to the agreement given 60 days to fulfill the Condition Precedents (CPs) to the Master Agreement.

Rozali said the five-year master plan also would be focusing on reduce non-revenue water (NRW) loss with target savings up to 25 per cent which required a cost of around RM1.05 billion.

Optimistic about the capability and sincerity of the Selangor government to take over the water industry in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, Rozali said the master plan was also to enhance the quality of

services to domestic and commercial consumers; to upgrade water supply system assets and to modernise the operating process through application of the latest technology in all aspects of operations.