Malaysia: Johor going for long-term answers to water woes

The Star 15 Mar 16;

KOTA TINGGI: Johor is confident that there will be a long-term solution to water woes that hit several of its districts with the completion of the Raw Water Project to Rapid (Pamer).

Also in the pipeline is the expediting of paperwork for the water transfer project at the Sungai Layang dam.

State secretary Datuk Ismail Karim said the Pamer project was on track and was expected to be completed by the end of May.

“This will benefit about 100,000 people in Pengerang and Bandar Penawar,” he said.

He pointed out that the RM700mil project would not only meet the demand for the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC) but would benefit about 60,000 account users from the Sungai Lebam dam.

Ismail said the phase for this project also included the supplying of raw water to the Sungai Layang dam near Pasir Gudang.

“Once Pamer is fully completed, it will be able to supply more than 230 million litres of water to the PIPC area and the balance will be channelled to the Sungai Lebam dam,” he said.

“Since early this month, between 40 and 60 million litres of water have been supplied to the dam to sustain more than 60,000 accounts there,” he added.

Ismail said this after the soft launch of the raw water project operational to Sungai Lebam dam here yesterday.

He also said that the state government would expedite the paperwork for the Sungai Layang dam here following the approval of a RM100mil by the Federal Government on its water transfer project.

He also said that the amount would not be a problem for the state government as they wanted to solve the water woes quickly.

“The state government has debts with the Government – from constructing the affordable homes project – and this RM100mil will offset from the total amount,” he said.

It was recently reported that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has approved the amount that would be offset from the RM300mil which Johor owed the Government.

The Pamer project involves a 77km pipeline from Sungai Seluyut in Kota Tinggi to Pengerang for the oil and gas needs in the area.

However, as the project is not fully operational in Pengerang, the state hopes to build additional pipelines to divert the water to the Sungai Layang dam.


Second phase of project will ease water woes
AHMAD FAIRUZ OTHMAN New Straits Times 14 Mar 16;

KOTA TINGGI: The newly-launched second phase of Petronas' Raw Water Supply Project to RAPID (PAMER) which will transfer 40 to 60 million litres of raw water from Sungai Seluyut to the Sungai Lebam dam will prevent further cases of water supply rationing in the Pengerang subdistrict.

State secretary Datuk Ismail Karim said the project was vital as the water supply to Pengerang and many areas in Johor relied on the amount of rainfall, and this was badly affected in the last four years due to a drop in rainfall patterns.

"The early water supply project which will supply 40 to 60 million litres of water daily from Sungai Seluyut to Sungai Lebam dam will indirectly solve the issue of water rationing specifically for Pengerang residents. "The state government and Petronas are extremely concerned with the plight of Pengerang folk who previously endured rationing due to low rainfall.

"This was beyond our powers because the rainfall amounts have dropped drastically in the past four years (in the area).

Previously, there would be 3,000 mililitres of rainfall per year but this has been reduced to 1,600 mililitres per year," said Ismail after officially launching the operations of the early raw water supply phase under PAMER in Sungai Seluyut, here. Ismail said PAMER will alleviate the water woes that were faced by 50,000 Pengerang residents who had to ensure water rationing last year. PAMER, which is currently in its second phase of development is expected to be completed in May 31 this year.

Once completed PAMER will supply 230 million litres per day of raw water to the Pengerang Integrated Complex, which includes RAPID (Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development), and another 30 million litres per day of raw water to the Sungai Lebam dam to supplement existing water supply for public consumption in Pengerang.