IPOH, Sep 21 — Perak Speaker Datuk Mohammad Zahir Abdul Khalid today said that a state government Bill on the Perak Water Resources Enactment 2023 will be tabled at the upcoming state legislative assembly sitting.
Mohammad Zahir said the Bill will be brought by State Infrastructure, Energy, Water and Public Transport Committee chairman, Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin.
“I was informed that all the other states in the country have implemented this Bill except for Perak and Perlis.
“The existing Water Enactment in the state was from pre-Independence. Now we have a lot of development, and thus, there is need for this Bill and it will be more comprehensive.
“This Perak Water Resources Enactment 2023 will supersede the existing Water Enactment,” he told a press conference at the Perak Darul Ridzuan Building here.
Mohammad Zahir said a total of 20 state assemblymen, including the Perak Opposition leader, will be allowed to debate this Bill in the state assembly sitting, which will take place from September 25 to 27.
When asked whether the Bill will touch on the raw water supply to Penang, Mohammad Zahir said the matter will only be known during the debate session.
Previously, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said that the state government cannot and would not be able supply raw water to Penang despite multiple requests made by the Penang government.
Saarani reiterated that the raw water supply in Perak is only sufficient for internal use.
Separately, Mohammad Zahir said that all the 59 state assemblymen in Perak will be given a laptop as a process to go paperless and digitalise the state assembly sitting.
