Four water treatment plants in Selangor shut down after diesel pollution detected
Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd said that pollution from diesel oil had been found at the intake of the Sungai Selangor Water Treatment Plant Phase 1, 2 and 3 (LRA SSP1, LRA SSP2 and LRA SSP3) and the Rantau Panjang LRA from the raw water of Sungai Selangor. Subsequently, all four treatment plants stopped operations in stages starting from 6pm yesterday. The company’s head of the Customer Relations and Communication Department, Abdul Raof Ahmad said the source of the pollution was the sand digging activities at the upper reaches of the river and the incident had been reported to the authorities. This is the second incident within three days involving the closure of all four major water treatment plants and causing large scale water supply disruption. (Malay Mail)

Jagdeep: Gurney Wharf good example for PSR reclamation
The ongoing Gurney Wharf reclamation project, here, has been singled out as a good example of how the proposed Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project could be implemented. State Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said he was aware of objections against the implementation of the PSR, which would see the creation of three man-made islands measuring some 1,800ha in the southern part of the island. He pointed to the Gurney Wharf project as an example that reclamation can be done in a controlled manner, while adhering to the rules and regulations imposed. The PSR reclamation project is intended to fund the RM46 billion Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP). Recently, the PSR’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report was approved by the Environment Department (DoE) with 72 conditions. (NST Online)

China investors’ appetite for Malaysian properties grows
With investors from China showing strong interest in properties in Southeast Asia, Chinese investments in Malaysia’s residential real estate are expected to double by 2025. According to Juwai.com chairman Georg Chmiel, about US$4 trillion (RM16.4 trillion) worth of properties were advertised on the site while some RM9.5 billion worth of properties across key locations in Malaysia were transacted through the online platform last year. The Chinese property portal has seen a strong increase in Chinese appetite for properties in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. “We’ve also seen that there was a connection between big trends like the Belt and Road Initiative, investments into Malaysia and investments into real estate,” said Chmiel. Based on data from Juwai.com, demand from Chinese buyers for Malaysian real estate has been growing consistently, soaring 600% since 2017. 80% of enquiries are within the RM1 million to RM2 million price range, 10% within RM2 million to RM4 million and 8% for properties priced above RM4 million. (The Sun Daily)

Penang Airport expansion a challenge for MAHB, federal govt
It was a big relief when the federal government confirmed the project to expand the capacity of the Penang International Airport (PIA) to 20 million passengers per annum (mppa) from 6.5 million mppa currently. To triple the airport’s capacity, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng was quoted as saying the expansion could cost up to RM1.2 billion. The total cost remains unknown as the details are not finalised yet. However, this does not mean the federal government has given the green light for MAHB to solely fund and be in charge of the expansion, although MAHB is expected to be granted the project. (The Edge)

Strengthen MM2H programme to ease property glut: MIPEAC
The Malaysian Institute of Professional Estate Agents and Consultants (MIPEAC) is of the view that encouraging more foreigners to take up the MM2H (Malaysia My Second Home) programme and to invest in Malaysian properties could help ease the glut in the property sector. MIPEAC said it would be a waste not to strengthen the promotion of MM2H and encourage more foreign investments in the country’s property sector. “High-end developments can be marketed more intensively globally, together with the ongoing efforts done in the tourism sector,” it added. (The Sun Daily)