JOHOR BARU, April 6 — The pollution at Sungai Skudai caused by industrial effluents and sewage has affected the Sultan Ismail Water Treatment Plant (LRA) in treating raw water for a portion of residents in the district here.

Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad said the LRA Sultan Ismail could only treat about 53 million litres of water per day compared to the actual capacity of 227.31 MLD at the initial stage.

"If there’s a dry season, the Johor Baru area and other areas receiving water from this treatment plant will be getting scheduled water supply,” he added. 

Hasni said efforts involving various agencies including the Johor Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) and Department of Environment (DoE), as well as the local community should be stepped up to ensure higher water source capacity from Sungai Skudai, which is now in class 3, and that it could be treated for public use.

According to him, the Denai Sungai Kebangsaan or National River Trail project along Sungai Skudai for a distance of four kilometres to turn it into a recreational area, hopefully could help in the river conservation effort and not become a white elephant.

"Hopefully, with such a programme, the LRA could be maintained and operate with a bigger capacity. We need the good cooperation of various agencies like the DID and DoE, which I believe can improve the quality of the river water.

"The state government, through these agencies, will continue to monitor and ensure that the river conservation programme will be successfully carried out.”

Hasni said this to reporters after launching the "Love Sungai Skudai” programme in conjunction with the state-level World Water Day commemoration at  LRA  Skudai, here, today.

The 46km Sungai Skudai from the foot of Bukit Sedenak, Kulai to the Johor Straits, here, flows through the Johor Baru, Pulai and Kulai parliamentary constituencies.

This river is the main source of water from the LRA Sultan Ismail which supplies treated water to 163,250 consumers in the district of Johor Baru. — Bernama