KUALA LUMPUR: Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd’s new water treatment plant – the RM4 billion Rasau Water Supply Scheme phase 1 – is set to produce additional 700 million litres of water per day by the end of next year, with further expansions to follow.
Rasau Water Supply Scheme phase 2, with a capital expenditure of RM2.14 billion, will add another 700 MLD (million litres per day) and is expected to be completed in 2028.
According to Air Selangor, it is estimated that these projects will benefit 1.4 million customer accounts in the future.
Acting CEO Abas Abdullah said the construction of the Rasau Water Supply Scheme phase 1 is crucial to reduce the dependency on the Sungai Selangor Water Supply Scheme and to increase the overall reserve margin for sustainable water supply.
“Rasau Water Management Plan, Stage 1 will add additional reserve margin, especially to the Klang region, which currently getting water solely from Sungai Selangor Water Treatment Plant.
“With the completion of Rasau Water Treatment Plant, Klang will have a mitigation impact that we’re getting from two sources, two different sources. This will reduce the risk to the Klang region,” he said when releasing the Air Selangor’s Sustainability Report 2023 recently.
Furthermore, he said the new water supply scheme is set to become among the largest in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
Air Selangor said without the Rasau Water Supply Scheme, the water reserve margin in Klang is expected to drop to 1.9% this year.
By 2030, Air Selangor aims to achieve 17.70% of water reserve margin.
It said 2023 has seen an increase in reserve margin at 15.34% as compared to 12.02% in 2022.
This is primarily attributed to the additional supply of 275 MLD from the Langat 2 Western Corridor which commenced operations in August last year, as well as the increase in distributable capacity for the Rasau Water Treatment Plant from 211 MLD to 250 MLD from November 2023 onwards.
Through the establishment of this water supply scheme, Air Selangor said the overall water reserve margin for Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya is expected to increase above 15%, with the water reserve margin in Klang standing at 20.9% by 2024.
On the flip side, with the new water treatment plant, the water supply distribution will no longer be heavily dependent on the Sungai Selangor Water Supply Scheme’s water treatment plants including the Sungai Selangor Phase (SSP) 1, 2 and 3 Water Treatment Plants.
This is because Rasau Water Supply Scheme can supply more than 60% of the clean and safe water supply to consumers in the Klang region, while the remaining will be sourced out from the Sungai Selangor Water Supply Scheme’s water treatment plants.
With the completion of the first stage of the Rasau Water Treatment Plant, areas in the Klang region will receive alternative water supply whenever there are water supply disruptions at the Sungai Selangor Water Supply Scheme.
This is due to the interconnectivity of these sources in ensuring the distribution of the alternative water supply.
Assuming one consumer account utilises 1,500 litres of water per day, the Rasau Water Supply Scheme can supply water to around 467,000 consumer accounts in these areas, Air Selangor said.
Meanwhile, Air Selangor 2023 Sustainability Report outlines Air Selangor’s initiatives and record of achievements for year 2023, highlighting its commitment to enhancing water security at regional and local levels through sustainable practices and operational efficiency.
Air Selangor said it remains committed to driving all efforts to realising its aspirations to become the leading water services provider in Asia by 2030.
