SHAH ALAM: The year 2019 saw the gruelling process to determine the cause of death of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim following a riot near here in November 2018 finally come to an end.
Muhammad Adib, 24, a member of the Subang Jaya Fire Station’s Emergency Medical Rescue Services team, was seriously injured in the riot at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in USJ 25, Subang Jaya on Nov 27 last year and died at the National Heart Institute on Dec 17 the same year.
His death was exploited by various quarters, which led to an inquest being held to determine the cause of his death.
After 41 days of proceedings from Feb 11 to July 24, the Coroner’s Court ruled in September that Muhammad Adib’s death was caused by criminal acts committed by two or more persons unknown.
The decision was made by Coroner Rofiah Mohamad after 30 witnesses, including several experts, were called to testify with 137 exhibits submitted during the inquest.
The decision was much awaited by Malaysians as the firefighter was honoured by his department as ‘Wira Merah’ for sacrificing his life in the line of duty.
For the family of Muhammad Adib, the confirmation that the firefighter’s death was the result of a crime has come with renewed expectations for those responsible to be brought to justice.
In the meantime, 2019 also saw Selangor being hit by a number of unscheduled water supply disruptions that not only affected millions of people but also resulted in losses for various sectors.
The first incident occurred on May 4, during the month of Ramadan, when three major pipes at the Banting-Taiping West Coast Expressway (WCE) project site in Bandar Bukit Raja, Klang, burst, causing water supply disruption to almost 800,000 account holders in 65 areas in the district for up to 10 days.
Residents in Selangor and surrounding areas were tested a second time on July 21 when 1.1 million customer accounts in 1,133 areas were affected after phases 1, 2 and 3 of the Sungai Selangor Water Treatment Plant (LRA) as well as the Rantau Panjang LRA were forced to shut down due to diesel pollution.
The incident forced the state government to request the police to intervene, as the contamination was believed to have been deliberately caused by unscrupulous parties.
The police arrested two men — a pontoon operator and his employee — on July 25, the same day the water supply was fully restored.
Another disruption occurred on Sept 28 after odour pollution in Sungai Semenyih caused the water treatment plant to be shut down, affecting 372,031 customer accounts in 204 areas in Petaling, Hulu Langat, Kuala Langat and Sepang.
According to concessionaire Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor), the pollution was suspected to have been caused by irresponsible dumping of unauthorised waste into the sewerage system, which was beyond the control of the company.
Subsequently, the Selangor government took some proactive measures to solve the issue while heavy rain helped reduce the stench in Sungai Semenyih, and the plant resumed operation after being shut down for almost 14 hours.
The fourth and final water supply disruption for the year occurred on Dec 21, affecting 328,957 user accounts in 366 areas around Petaling, Hulu Langat, Kuala Langat and Sepang.
The problem this time was caused by the illegal disposal of wastes with solvent odours in the inlet around Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd’s plant in Bandar Bukit Mahkota, Kajang, near here, causing the Sungai Semenyih LRA to halt operations.
However, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the water supply disruptions this year, especially those involving river pollution, were under control and not as bad as made out to be.
Meanwhile, the 20 cubic metres of free water enjoyed by the people of Selangor since 2008 will end on March 1 next year as the state government works towards reducing its financial burden.
The programme, which has been renamed “Skim Air Darul Ehsan”, will only be enjoyed by households earning less than RM4,000 a month, or the B40 target group.
Amirudin, when tabling the Selangor Budget 2020, said with the realignment of the scheme, about 65% of the 1.6 million account holders in the state would enjoy the water subsidy.
According to Amirudin, RM1.8 billion had been spent on the free water programme as of Dec 31, 2018, while RM220 million was spent in 2019 alone, and the rising costs were deemed unsustainable.
When it was introduced in 2008, the state government spent RM68 million on the programme and this increased to RM131 million in 2009, RM167 million in 2014, RM179 million in 2016 and RM187 million in 2017. — Bernama
