Melaka Chief Minister Adly Zahari said the state government needs an extra RM36 million to build Jernih Dam in Alor Gajah. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri
JASIN, Jan 29 — The Melaka state government needs an extra RM36 million from the RM163 million budget approved by the Federal government to build Jernih Dam in Alor Gajah, chief minister Adly Zahari, said today.
He said the project was shelved in 2018, but the Federal government gave the greenlight for it to be resurrected to fulfil the wishes of the people.
He said the dam has become a priority for the government to solve the water supply problem and that a prediction had been made back in 2016 that a crisis would hit if the dam wasn’t built by 2018.
He said the state government is sorting out the tender details for Jernih Dam and that RM73 million has already been spent on land acquisition compensation payments.
“We hope to complete the tendering process this year to begin construction as soon as possible because costs increase over time.
“We’ve submitted an application to the Federal government for extra budget and I’m confident it will be provided as a requirement of the state,” Adly said at a press conference during a visit to a water source area in Merlimau.
He explained this following a January 25 Bernama report with community feedback on the water rationing exercise that started today and their wish that construction of the dam is sped up.
The scheduled water rationing affects 550,673 consumers (62.8 per cent), but not hospitals, industrial areas and tourist centres.
“The design process (for Jernih Dam) has ended and now we hope to settle the tendering process which requires a bit more funds,” Adly said.
Melaka currently has three dams: Durian Tunggal in Alor Gajah, and Jus and Asahan in Jasin. — Bernama
