Penang Welcomes Kedah Assurance On Ulu Muda Water Catchment Area

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The Penang government welcomes the Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man’s response pertaining to the Kedah government’s assurance that it will not explore the Ulu Muda water catchment area.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said therefore, the Penang government would stick to the assurance given in the interest of the raw water resources supply for the needs of 4.2 million people in Kedah, Perlis and Penang.
“The Penang government also welcomes the minister’s efforts to hold discussions with the relevant parties to ensure the survival of the water source catchment area in Ulu Muda can be protected from any activity that could harm the highly important water source catchment area," he said in a statement today.
Chow stressed that Penang was extracting raw water resources from Sungai Ulu Muda at the state border and therefore the issue of compensation should be resolved by the federal government in line with international laws and rights related to water use in the country.
Yesterday during the Ministerial Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat, Tuan Ibrahim said his ministry assured that the Environmental Impact Assessment Study (EIA) report for exploration of rare earth elements in Kedah would be studied thoroughly to ensure environmental sustainability.
He was also reported to have said that the Ulu Muda area is a water catchment area for three states namely Kedah, Perlis and Penang, and the Kedah government made a huge sacrifice by not exploring the area.
Tuan Ibrahim added that it would be good if Penang, which benefited a lot from the water catchment area, could contribute financially to Kedah for its sacrifice to ensure that the states’ water resources are guaranteed.
- Bernama 

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