THE tit-for-tat between Penang and Kedah about payment for water originating from the latter being used by the former may soon come to an end after Penang deputy chief minister II Prof P. Ramasamy proposed an olive branch in the form of payment.
This comes after Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man told Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow that Kedah should be paid in view of its “sacrifice” in preserving its forest reserves to ensure water catchments are not ruined.
According to Free Malaysia Today (FMT), Tuan Ibrahim said while Penang had the right to draw water from Sungai Muda within its territory, the river nevertheless flowed from the Ulu Muda forest in Kedah, which had to be preserved and spared from logging, thus depriving Kedah of much-needed revenue.
In a statement today, Ramasamy slammed Tuan Ibrahim for “basically running out of ideas” in talking about the future water needs in the country, adding that he was “flabbergasted” by such a “flimsy argument”.
He noted that Tuan Ibrahim seemed to be echoing the words of fellow PAS man and Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammed Sanusi Md Nor that Penang is obliged to pay for the water drawn from Sungai Muda, which originates from the water catchment area of Ulu Muda.
“Tuan Ibrahim said that even though Penang draws water from its side of the Sungai Muda, the source is in Kedah. Thus, by not contributing to the preservation of the Ulu Muda catchment area, the responsibility has fallen on the Kedah state Government.
“In turn, Kedah, in order to prioritise the water catchment area, has to forgo the extraction of timber, thereby losing a valuable source of income.
“I certainly don’t expect him to come out with such an illogical argument,” Ramasamy said.
Whether Penang sources its water supply from Sungai Muda or not, the water catchment area has to be protected in the long-term water interests of people in the northern states, Ramsamy noted.
“It is no more a choice between extraction of timber or saving the sources of water supply.”
“Oblivious?”
The DAP Penang deputy chairman also rapped Tuan Ibrahim for seemingly being oblivious about Penang’s proposals to the Government for the establishment of a northern water authority called the Ulu Muda Water Authority.
“If such an authority is established through the intervention of the Government in general and the environment and water ministry, then the long-term water needs of states like Perlis, Kedah and Penang can be addressed,” Ramasamy explained.
“Penang, along with Perlis and Kedah, will be prepared to make a financial commitment to ensure the protection of the Ulu Muda water catchment in the form of an establishment of a regional water authority,” he added.
However, Penang will not be able to make a financial commitment without a long-term strategy and solution for the water needs in the three northern states, he said.
Referring to the recent Baling floods in Kedah that caused interruptions to water supply in parts of Penang, Ramasamy said the resolution of water supply to the northern states needed an urgent, integrated regional approach.
He also questioned why Tuan Ibrahim’s ministry was “dragging its feet” in adopting long-term solutions for the provision of a water safety net, saying the matter was of great regional importance.
The Perai assemblyman added that while there is no “quarrel” about the source of Sungai Muda, Penang is not the mere repository of the benefits.
Penang is also enjoying its riparian water rights of withdrawing water from its side of Sungai Muda, he noted, referring to an English common law system for allocating water among those who possess land along its path.
“In fact, the boundary between Kedah and Penang runs through the middle of the river, and due to the meandering of the river, Penang might have lost some ground to Kedah over the years,” Ramasamy added further. – Sept 4, 2022
Main photo credit: The Star
