Selangor Sultan wants federal, state govts to finalise takeover of water concession companies

SHAH ALAM: The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah today decreed that the Federal Government and the Selangor Government work together to finalise the takeover process of the state's water concession companies in the spirit of federalism to protect the interests of the state and the people.
His Majesty also reminded all quarters to be responsible and to not politicise the water issues in Selangor.
"I hope the water issues affecting the interests of the people will be solved immediately.
"I have said this before, that politics are not just hunting for power, but also achieving outstanding governance to develop the state and fulfill the people's aspirations," the Sultan said at the opening of the first meeting of the sixth term of the 13th State Legislative Assembly, here today.
Also present were Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin and Raja Muda Tengku Amir Shah.
Meantime, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah also expressed hope that the efforts undertaken by the state government and Air Selangor to ensure sustainable water supply would be carried out in a holistic, efficient and affordable manners.
He also instructed the Selangor government to take a proactive measure to replace old, leaked and damaged pipes to further reduce the rate of non-revenue water (NRW), which had dropped to 30.1% by end of last year from 32.6% at the end of 2015, following the replacement of 422.5 km long pipes at a cost of RM373.7 million.
In another development, the Sultan repeated his disappointment over the spread of fake news which had caused defamation and traducement to become rampant.
If not controlled, he said such an immoral activity could lead to people's disunity to the extent of destroying the state and the country.
"What's bothering me is that many people believe in those fake news and spread it without checking the authenticity.
"Hence, I want to remind all quarters, especially the multiracial and multi-religious people in Selangor, to maintain and strengthen the unity we have built so far," he added. — Bernama