Azmin seek PM's assistance on Selangor water issue

Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali today sought the help of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to resolve the water supply restructuring crisis in the state.

Mohamed Azmin made the request when he met Najib at the 237th Meeting of the Conference of Rulers at Istana Negara this morning.

Elaborating on the meeting, the Selangor Menteri Besar said he told Najib he was prepared to meet Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili to resolve the crisis.

"I am sure this is the last resort, I am confident we can sit down and discuss. I have voiced my concerns on behalf of the Selangor state government to the prime minister when I met him this morning at the meeting of the Conference of Rulers.

"The prime minister gave me his assurance that he would discuss the matter with the minister and I hope the ministry and the state government can meet again next week to finalise the restructuring agreement," he told reporters at Parliament's lobby today.

On Monday, Mohamed Azmin said the state government has decided to cancel the agreement as the federal government has violated the terms of the main agreement signed on September 12 last year.

It is feared that the decision may affect the construction of phase one of the Langat 2 Water Treatment Plant project which is expected to be completed in 2017 to meet increasing demand for treated water.

Ongkili in reply to Mohamed Azmin's question at Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday was reported as saying that implementation of water restructuring in Selangor had been postponed as the state government refused to settle three out of eight conditions of the main agreement with the federal government including the issue

on land.