S'pore mulls other water sources

S'pore mulls other water sources

MALAYSIA: Malaysia on Saturday reacted coolly to a Singaporean
suggestion which seeks to reduce the island's dependence on water
piped in from its near neighbor.

"That's Singapore's choice. If Singapore says it wants to find
other water sources, that's up to Singapore," deputy prime
minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was quoted as saying by Bernama
news agency.

Abdullah said Malaysia will not lose anything if neighboring
Singapore wants to get its water supply from other sources.

In a policy statement concluding an inaugural debate at
Singapore's new parliament which ended Friday, Prime Minister Goh
Chok Tong said the city-state will push ahead with high-
technology water processing programs. Water has been a thorny
issue between the two countries which separated bitterly in 1965.

Malaysia has accused Singapore of profiteering from cheap
water supplied by the state of Johor under agreements dating back
to the early 1960s, and is demanding a higher price. -- AFP