.JPG "Simpang Renggam's only water supply, Sungai Benut, is often contaminated with ammonia from a nearby landfill upstream whenever it rains heavily. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Shafwan Zaidon")
SIMPANG RENGGAM, May 8 — For the past 10 years, residents in the Johor parliamentary seat of Simpang Renggam have been living with a massive problem in their daily lives — water supply.
The interrupted flow from taps has been so frequent the locals have coined a saying: Water cuts happen when it rains here.
“The water cuts are such a common occurrence that the townsfolk have erected a timetable denoting when the water is expected to be disrupted,” said Low Chong Meng, 49.
“Water is a basic necessity for all yet we still can’t enjoy it without the risk of contamination,” the IT service provider told Malay Mail.
Ahmad Maulana, 61, said the town’s water problems were fundamentally due to ammonia contamination caused by the proximity of a landfill on the outskirts near the town’s only water source.
“The contamination can be traced to a nearby landfill upstream that is situated near Sungai Ulu Benut,” he told Malay Mail.
Ahmad explained that pollution happens when rainwater seeps into soil at the landfill, which due to its higher elevation, flows down into the water catchment pond and turns the river black, pungent and full of foam.
He added the town’s tap water supply gets disrupted because the river water is diverted to a nearby treatment plant to remove traces of ammonia. The decontamination process lasts a day or two.
.JPG)
The irony, Ahmad said, was that their incumbent MP is Datuk Liang Teck Meng of Gerakan, who is also chairman of the National Water Services Commission (SPAN), a regulatory body for the water supply and sewerage services in peninsular Malaysia.
“It’s funny when you think about it… him being responsible for all water assets in the country,” he said.
“This has been going on for several years now with no immediate solution to the problem and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) Simpang Renggam candidate Maszlee Malik may just be the solution we need,” he said.
Johor-born Maszlee, a former lecturer with the International Islamic University of Malaysia, appears to be well-received among the different ethnic groups locally. He has been commended for his intellect and religious background; some even call him a visionary.
Ahmad claimed that a sizeable portion of Malay voters in town will switch to the Pakatan Harapan candidate’s camp tomorrow if they haven’t already, because of Maszlee’s credentials.
“He is like a diamond in the rough. You don’t often get these kinds of instantly likeable candidates elsewhere.
“Not only that, he is also young and determined to bring change in Simpang Renggam, which many of us have been wishing for,” added Ahmad, who confessed to being a PAS supporter previously.
.JPG)
Retired military man Sabri Desa who has been living in Simpang Renggam for 15 years claimed many residents were disappointed that Liang had failed to resolve the town’s water supply problem after two terms in office.
The 56-year-old said the landfill located along Jalan Renggam was the disposal site for waste from Batu Pahat, Simpang Renggam and Kluang and was supposed to stop operations after it reached full capacity.
“There were discussions to expand the existing landfill, but it’s moving too slowly and each time it rains heavily, the water gets contaminated.
“The weakness of the past leadership must be rectified,” he told Malay Mail.
In July 2017, the Simpang Renggam water treatment plant was forced to shut down temporarily after high traces of ammonia from a landfill leachate were detected in raw water originating from Sungai Ulu Benut.
Six months later, a bund between the CEP Renggam sanitary landfill and water storage pond collapsed, contaminating the Sungai Ulu Benut water supply with leachate once again and forcing a month-long closure of the landfill.
Last month, Liang was reported as saying the upgrades costing RM8 million on five sewage treatment plants in Taman Orkid, Taman Tiara Perdana, Taman Mewah, Taman Harmoni and Taman Machap Jaya under the supervision of Indah Water Consortium would take at least a year to complete.
.JPG)
A former Umno supporter, Mohd Mualip Makpol, said Maszlee’s wish to uphold education among the youths by promising to build a tertiary institution here speaks of the electoral newcomer’s far-sightedness.
“His academic and religious credentials are also plus-points that have allowed him to gain a standing among voters, especially rural Malays,” said the 60-year-old who has lived in Simpang Renggam for 30 years.
Mohd Mualip acknowledged that Liang has brought considerable development to the area and solved some of the problems in the past, but the water issue has become so widely known in the state that the town was now infamous for it.
“It also doesn’t help when everyone here knows for a fact that he is SPAN chairman,” he said.
Low said Liang had taken measures to remedy the situation, but it was a few years too late.
“Yes, there is a system in place to divert the water but it is not done properly as we still get ammonia contamination when it rains heavily,” he said.
Low said Maszlee’s presence as a challenger is a “blessing in disguise”.
.JPG)
Sundry shop owner Lee Bee Hiong, 47 sundry shop owner, who has been living here for 20 years, said all the people wanted was safe water for consumption but the risk of contamination forced many of the locals to install water purification machines at home.
“Even with filtration in place, the water is sometimes yellow and there is a slight odour to it but we have gotten used to it.
“I will vote for whichever candidate that can provide us with clean water,” she said.
The Simpang Renggam federal seat was created in 2003 and has been considered a Gerakan stronghold from the start when the Barisan Nasional party’s former deputy president, Kerk Choo Ting, won the 2003 general election by a whopping 14,155-vote majority.
Liang first won the seat in Election 2008 and was returned as MP in 2013 with a 5,706-vote majority against Suhaizat Kaiat of PAS.
Its electorate of 43,872 voters sees Malays making up 60 per cent, Chinese 31 per cent and Indians 9 per cent.
