By: Rosli Mansor Ahmad Razali
Pangkor Island: The Malaysian Budget and Business Hotel Association (MyBHA) urges the state government to address the ongoing water supply issue on Pangkor Island without further delay.
MyBHA President, Dr. Ganesh Michiel, stated that hotel industry entrepreneurs on Pangkor Island have incurred losses due to the failure of the Perak Water Board (LAP) and the state government to address the water supply issue on the resort island adequately.
“The insufficient and inconsistent water supply directly affects tourists’ decisions to cancel vacations and hotel bookings on Pangkor Island, particularly in Teluk Nipah.
“This water supply issue directly contributes to significant losses for tourism industry entrepreneurs and the local economy.
“The authorities are urged to immediately intervene and hold meetings with hotel industry entrepreneurs on Pangkor Island to promptly resolve the issue and not to jeopardize the promotion of Visit Perak Year 2024,” said Dr Ganesh, who also serves as the Secretary-General of the Malaysian Tourism Federation (MTF).
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Pangkor Island Hotel and Resort Development Association, Mohd. Zamzuri Suid expressed dismay at the statement made by the Chairman of the State Committee on Infrastructure, Energy, Water, and Public Transportation, Dato’ Seri Ir. Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin, accusing chalet operators of not having sufficient tanks to address the ongoing water supply issue.
“His (YB Nizar’s) statement is simply absurd. Even six tanks holding 5,000 litres each cannot sustain for two additional days if the water supply is disrupted for more than five days.
“He should monitor how LAP is handling this issue instead of blaming hotel operators.
“We hope that the authorities will compensate for the losses we have incurred during this critical period as no prior notice of water supply disruption was issued to us.
“We expect an immediate meeting with LAP to resolve this escalating issue,” he emphasized.
