KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 — Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali today called on the management of mosques and surau to impose prudent use of water by worshippers to help reduce the high rate of water wastage in the state.

He said Muslims should emulate the use of water practised in mosques in Makkah and Madinah where tap water to perform ablution is controlled to avoid wastage. 

“Mosque and surau authorities should take note of this so that clean water is used wisely and prudently. There are cases of worshippers performing ablution by wetting themselves from head to foot as though wanting to take a bath,” he said when launching the ‘Jom Jimat Air’ (Let’s Save Water) campaign at the Julia Apartments in Selayang.

Mohamed Azmin said this measure was necessary as Selangor recorded the highest use of treated water in Malaysia, at 235 litres per person per day compared to 180 litres in Singapore.

The campaign, which will run until the end of this year, is aimed at reducing the financial burden of the state government that has to fork out RM162 million annually to provide 20 cubic metres of water free to every household in the state.

Mohamed Azmin also said that rainwater harvesting should be made available at new construction sites for the collected water to be used for washing cars and watering plants.

“A study by a public university shows that using rainwater helps to reduce the water bill by 30 to 40 per cent,” he said. 

He also urged industries in the state to use recycled water to conserve water.

“Lembaga Urus Air Selangor (LUAS) is instructed to conserve Selangor rivers to ensure that they remain suppliers of adequate raw water and, at the same time, the people of Selangor should ensure that this campaign succeeds,” he said.

Mohamed Azmin said the state government had spent RM2 billion on the water restructuring process in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya that was finalised in September 2015.

The agreement saw Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd finalising the takeover of Puncak Niaga (M) Sdn Bhd, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor, Konsortium ABBAS Sdn Bhd and Syarikat Pengeluar Air Selangor Sdn Bhd 

Mohamed Azmin said the state government did not propose to do away with the provision of 20 cubic metres of water free to every household.

He also dismissed allegations that Selangor was facing a water crisis as was recently circulated on social media. — Bernama