Sad state: The Taiping Lake is drying up and a sorry sight due to lack of rain recently.
RESIDENTS in Taiping are having a problem as a water rationing exercise is being carried out at the nation’s wettest town.
The exercise commenced at eight zones on Thursday, after a lack of rainfall in recent months and which caused water levels at the Headwood Taiping Water Treatment Plant to drop to a critical level.
Laundry business owner K. Parameswari, whose premises is among the 28,000 households and businesses affected by the rationing exercise, is bracing herself for tough times ahead.
“How am I to operate a laundrette without water supply?
“I would have stored some water if I had managed to get enough large buckets or pails.
“This is the first time in my nine years of running a laundrette that I am faced with such a predicament,” she said.
The 47-year-old mother of two said the rainfall in Taiping was so little lately that the ground everywhere looked barren.
Facing the same problem as Parameswari is 53-year-old laundrette owner Lim Saw Yen.
“I have two huge buckets of water stored but I don’t think that this is enough, which means that I will have to spend extra money to buy more buckets.
“It would be easier to close shop during the two days we do not get water supply but I can’t afford to do so,” said Lim, adding that it would be better if those affected by the exercise had water supply every alternate day instead of every two days.
Azizah Mat Saad, 49, who operates at the Taiping Hawker Centre, is well-prepared to face the water rationing exercise, with six large buckets of water to accommodate the needs of her business.
“I felt really anxious when I saw the notice informing us about the water rationing exercise.
“I am also worried that there will be less customers patronising my stall as some may be worried that it is less hygienic to eat out when water is scarce,” she said.
Homemaker Low Yuet Kin, 60, said she found it ironic that Taiping, also prominently known as the “Rain Town”, is affected by water shortage.
“Everyone in my family would have to shower only once a day now.
“It is going to be hard to bear because the weather is so hot.
“I do hope that it will rain heavily once again so that the water rationing can be called off sooner than the scheduled two weeks,” she said.
In Taman Simpang, people were seen thronging shops selling plastic ware to buy buckets.
One shop owner, Sun Eng Kee, said the sale of pails has been growing a few days prior to the water rationing exercise.
“On the first day of the water rationing, my shop was crowded with people from nearby residential areas waiting for my new stock of pails to arrive.
“When the items arrived, all 400 were snapped up in just two hours.
“Families were taking home about five pails per person,” said the 76-year-old.
The water rationing exercise is scheduled to end on April 16.
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