Phase three of water rationing commences

PETALING JAYA: For some Klang Valley residents undergoing the start of Phase three of water rationing on Monday, preparation and usage reduction are supposed to be the order of the day.

Yet, there were some taking advantage of the fact that they were living in Zone 1 areas (which only commences rationing on Wednesday) to use water for non-essential activities such as car-washing and watering plants.

Rukun Tetangga SS2B’s chairman Willie Tan Kim Tun said he could still see residents in his area doing the above, despite the fact that people were now supposed to be reducing their usage.

“It is not even waste reduction now, but usage cutdown now,” said Tan, adding that several SS2 residents, alongside himself, had already begun stocking up water even before SS2 was announced as one of the areas in the Phase 3 rationing.

Some households in the Zone 2 areas which began rationing on Monday, are living off the reserves in their water tanks, but still stocked up anyway.

Taman Kinrara 1 resident Catherine Lim said her household, and a few other neighbours, had done their “spring cleaning” and other major cleanups before

“Everybody had a good bathe, even the dogs, and we washed all the major items like bedsheets and fabrics before the start of rationing,” said Lim.

Even then, she said, the household had prepped three 100l water containers for each bathroom, with smaller buckets for toilet use.

Some outdoor shop proprietors have reported high sales of water filters and even water purification chemicals from customers who stated the water rationing exercise as a cause.

“Several buyers came in asking for water purification tools, partly because they are new, and also because this rationing exercise made them think about the next time there is a water shortage,” said V. Veeraksana, an outdoor shop manager in SS15.