M'sia minister: Johor's water supply to prioritise Johor residents over "outsiders" during water stress

Xavier Jayakumar said that Singapore should be more open towards a revision in raw water prices.

Jason Fan | November 12, 2019, 07:27 PM

Singapore should be more open towards Malaysia's plan to revise its rate for raw water supply to Singapore.

This is what Malaysia's Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr A. Xavier Jayakumar had to say on Nov. 12, addressing the water supply issue in Johor Bahru in parliament, according to The Malay Mail.

Needs of Malaysians would be prioritised over "outsiders"

Xavier claims that the price revision is necessary to address water supply issues in Johor, and to combat issues related to climate change, which would influence the availability of water.

He explained that the water supply issues in Johor are caused by a long dry spell, combined with the high demand for raw water due to rapid developments at Johor Bahru and Kota Tinggi.

The reserve margin rate for raw water in Johor currently stands at four per cent, which is far lower than the 10 to 15 per cent limit set by SPAN, Malaysia's National Water Services Commission.

"Come 2020, the demand for water in Johor Bahru is expected to increase to 1,135 million litres per day, and the reserve margin for treated water is expected to hit zero, zilch, in the third quarter of 2020,” said Xavier.

He also stated that if Johor water supplies are running low, the Malaysian government would prioritise the needs of locals over Singaporeans, referring to Singapore as "outsiders."

"Lastly, Speaker, if a case of water stress happens in the state of Johor, the government will prioritise the water supply needs of the people of Johor firstly, compared to that of outsiders," he said.

Mahathir a staunch supporter for revising water prices

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir has brought up the issue of Singapore buying water from Malaysia quite a lot.

He frequently claims that the amount of money that Singapore is paying for raw water is too low, and that the price of raw water should be up for renegotiation.

He also insists that water agreements have not been amended since 1926, when in reality, Singapore only began paying for water from Johor via the 1961 and 1962 water agreements.

Mahathir also previously said that a rich country, such as Singapore, should not be buying water from poor countries at such an "unreasonable price."

He claimed that Singapore only managed to develop rapidly as a city-state because of the water provided by Johor, and said that Johor could be richer if it demanded more payment from Singapore.

Recently, Xavier himself said that Johor would stop relying on Singapore for treated water by 2022, citing the development of new water treatment plants in Johor.

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Top image from Xavier Jayakumar's Facebook page.