KL to end deal on S'pore's water

KL to end deal on S'pore's water

MALAYSIA: Malaysia's southern Johor state officially launched a US$171 million water treatment plant on Thursday that hopes will end its long reliance on Singapore-treated water.

Malaysian and Singapore leaders agreed last month to restart stalled talks on a list of bilateral disputes, ranging from the price of water to a new bridge linking the two neighbors.

The two sides have patched up strained ties following an exchange of visits last month by Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Singapore counterpart Goh Chok Tong.

The price of the water Malaysia supplies to Singapore heads a package of unresolved, cross-causeway issues.

Johor pipes raw water to resource-scarce Singapore and gets treated water in return.

Other issues include Singaporean land reclamation near the Johor Strait, the relocation a Malaysian railway line running through the island state, a dispute about a planned new bridge and the use of Malaysian airspace by Singapore's air force.

Abdullah, on a visit to Johor on Thursday said the Semanggar water treatment plant would supply 160 million liters of water a day to Johor consumers, doubling to 320 million in the future. -- Reuters.