Johor bahru: The Johor government is embarking on the development of two new water treatment plants (LRAs) worth RM184 million to address the increasing demand for treated water throughout the state. This announcement was made by State Works, Transport, Infrastructure and Communications Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the projects include the Semanggar LRA package, valued at RM70 million, with a capacity of 50 million litres per day (MLD). This plant is expected to be operational by next year, supplying water to the Kulai and Sedenak areas. Additionally, the Layang 2 LRA Phase 2 project, valued at RM114 million and designed with a capacity of 160 MLD, is anticipated to be completed in 2027 to serve the Johor Bahru and Iskandar Puteri regions.
Mohamad Fazli further detailed two additional LRA projects, namely Semanggar 3 LRA and Kayu Ara Pasong LRA, with costs of RM750 million and RM537 million respectively. Currently in the conceptual and detailed design stages, these projects will have a combined capacity of 290 MLD, designed to serve Johor Bahru, Kulai, and Pontian.
During a state assembly sitting at Bangunan Sultan Ismail, Mohamad Fazli responded to a query from Datuk Jefridin Atan (BN-Kukup) regarding the new LRA projects and assurances of a clean water supply until 2030. He noted that for the Kayu Ara Pasong LRA, the original capacity proposed by Ranhill SAJ was 30 MLD. However, with the implementation of the Sungai Pontian Besar Riverside Water Reservoir (TAPS), which has a capacity of 90 MLD, the state government has proposed increasing the LRA's capacity to 90 MLD.
Pengurusan Aset Air Berhad (PAAB) has suggested constructing the LRA initially with a capacity of 30 MLD at a cost of RM191 million, with the remaining 60 MLD to be implemented in Phase 2. This project is expected to benefit 46,119 consumer accounts in the Pontian district. Mohamad Fazli emphasized that the demand for treated water in Johor is projected to rise due to industrial expansion, population growth, and major strategic developments, including the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) and the swift development of data centres.
Currently, Johor operates 48 LRAs with a total design capacity of 2,352 MLD. The average production in 2025 is estimated at 2,037 MLD, with projections indicating an increase in water demand to 2,700 MLD by 2030, 3,000 MLD by 2035, and 3,300 MLD by 2040. In addition to the new LRAs, a rezoning project worth RM1.02 billion is underway to improve the efficiency of the treated water distribution system in Johor Bahru, Kota Tinggi, Pontian, and Kulai. This initiative includes upgrading works to the distribution networks and the installation of new pipelines to enhance water distribution in the region.