KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — Pengurusan Aset Air Bhd (PAAB) will implement water treatment plant projects in Kelantan, Perlis, Kedah and Pahang to reduce the high non-revenue water (NRW) rates in these four states.

Its chairman, Datuk Seri Jaseni Maidinsa said that most of the NRW problems are due to outdated asbestos cement (AC) pipes.

"In Malaysia, most states have thousands of kilometres of AC pipes, so PAAB will assist these states in replacing the pipes to reduce NRW,” he said at a press conference after a Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) Certificate presentation ceremony here today.

Jaseni noted that PAAB’s goal is to ensure water quality meets the standards set by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

"PAAB aims for all states to achieve the treated water margin level set by the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) for dry season preparation.

"We also aim to achieve 100 per cent coverage of water supply nationwide,” he said.

Earlier, the Hulu Langat — Ampang Tunnel under Package 6A (P6A) Langat 2 Water Supply Project was awarded two MBOR certificates for its longest dual-functional treated water tunnel and longest twin parallel treated water tunnels.

Also present were PAAB Chief Executive Officer Zulkiflee Omar, Chief Executive Officer of iINFRA, Mohd Abdul Abdul Fatah Endut, and MBOR Senior Record Consultant, Edwin Yeoh.

The Langat 2 Water Supply Project, funded by PAAB aims to enhance water supply capabilities by transferring treated water from Pahang-Selangor Raw Water Transfer Project while iINFRA Sdn Bhd has been entrusted with the critical role of the main contractor.

The proposed tunnels traverse parts of Hulu Langat and Bukit Putih Forest Reserves, terminating near the proposed Ampang reservoir and would distribute 290 million litres per day (MLD) of treated water to Ampang and AU3 areas once operational.

"This project is the manifestation of PAAB’s contribution towards the advancement of water supply engineering in Malaysia which incorporates advanced concepts and new modern state-of-the-art technologies so the the standards of the water supply in Malaysia will be equal to or exceed that of developed countries,” Jaseni said.

According to Jaseni, the first phase of the LRA 2 project was handed over to Air Selangor on Feb 1, 2024.

Meanwhile, Zulkiflee said that the second phase of the Langat 2 Water Treatment Plant project has recently been approved and is currently in the process of appointing design consultants and is expected to be completed by 2030. — Bernama