Malaysia: Johor govt plans to build desalination plant

Low Sock Ken Sun Daily 8 Sep 16;

ISKANDAR PUTERI: The Johor government, through a joint venture with the private sector, plans to develop a desalination plant near Forest City as an alternative water resource, said state Public Works, Rural and Regional Development committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammad.

It will be the largest desalination plant in the nation if implemented, he said in reply to a question from Hamimah Mansor (BN-Penawar) at the state legislative assembly in Kota Iskandar here today.

He said the state needed to explore more water resources like rainwater harvesting and ground water to alleviate the water crisis that has affected the state for the last few years.

The Johor Water Regulating Body has suggested that four tube wells be built in Mersing and Kota Tinggi districts next year to ease the water crisis, he added.

Earlier, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin told the assembly that water resources projects will be the main focus of next year's budget.

"We have completed the Johor water resources study 2010 to 2060, but the implementation also depends on the approval from the Federal government," he said, and urged the people to adopt the right attitude when using water.

Meanwhile, Bernama quoted Khaled as saying that Johor continues to record commendable economic growth and is among the highest compared with other states in the country amid the challenging regional and global economy in recent years.

He said the state recorded an average gross domestic (GDP) growth of 6.1% for the 2011-2014 period, 0.7% higher than the 5.4% achieved at the national level.

From 2010 to 2015, Johor was far ahead of other states such as Selangor and Penang when it brought in investments in the manufacturing sector of close to RM86.3 billion, he said.

"Since 2013, Johor has taken the top spot with the highest investment in the manufacturing sector. Cumulatively, including the services sector, investments in Iskandar Malaysia alone hit RM208 billion, out of which 51% have been realised," he said.

Water master plan for Johor
ZAZALI MUSA and KATHLEEN ANN KILI The Star 9 Sep 16;

ISKANDAR PUTERI: The state government has outlined a master plan on water management to ensure that Johor will have a sufficient water supply in the long term.

Mentri Besar Datuk Mohamed Khaled Nordin said a study on water resources for Johor from 2010 until 2060 had been completed and its recommendations would be implemented next year.

The master plan would address issues on water-related problems, including finding new sources of water and overcoming supply disruptions, he told Dr Boo Cheng Hau (DAP-Skudai), who wanted to know the measures taken by the state government to address water pro­blems, including efforts to overcome supply disruption in the Mersing and Kota Tinggi districts.

State Public Works, Rural and Regional Development committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammad said Johor would explore new water resource possibilities to ensure sustainable water supply.

Among the options include explo­ring groundwater reserves and large scale rainwater harvesting, he said replying to a question from Hami­mah Mansor (BN-Penawar).

Hasni said the Johor Water Regulatory Body (Bakaj) had early last month visited Fukuoka and Kumamoto prefectures in Japan to study the groundwater and desalination models there.

He said the 780,000 residents of Kumamoto city were supplied with groundwater, adding that the state authorities as well as experts from Japan would conduct an in-depth study on possibility of groundwater as a new water source for Johor.

Hasni said there was a need to explore alternative water sources in view of an increase in demand resulting from new developments and river pollution.

“We also urge the industry to be more innovative in managing their usage by investing in recycling technology,” he said.

He said Bakaj proposed the construction of four tube wells next year costing RM2mil in Mersing and Kota Tinggi, which constantly face water crisis.