Recent rains fail to refill dams

PETALING JAYA: Rainfall in the Klang Valley in the past few days has done little to replenish Selangor’s drying dams, with its largest only weeks away from dipping below critical capacity levels.

Selangor Water Management Authority (LUAS) director Md Khairi Selamat said water levels at most of the state’s dams did not rise despite the rain.

“There has been no water capacity increase in six of the dams in Selangor,” he said, adding that only the Klang Gates Dam saw a very small rise in water level, since cloud seeding started on March 15.

Last Thursday, LUAS on its website stated that the Sungai Selangor Dam was at 40.53% capacity. Latest capacity readings for the state’s largest dam, as of 8am Tuesday, was 38.97%.

The other dams also saw lower water levels than last week: 90.49% (Batu); 51.23% (Klang Gates), 57.55% (Langat), 74.91% (Semenyih), Sungai Tinggi (67.58%) and 90.48% (Tasik Subang).

The Star previously reported that the Sungai Selangor dam’s critical capacity point was at 30%, and that this might be reached in about 24 days from now.

Md Khairi said the release of water from the Sungai Selangor dam, which serves 60% of the state’s water needs, would gradually be limited to 500 million litres a day.

Sungai Tinggi, he added, would also be limited to a water release of between 100 to 200 million litres a day.

He said state-owned company Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB) helped LUAS by releasing water from ponds in Bestari Jaya into nearby rivers, estimating that about 223 million litres could be released per day.

In 2013, the demand for treated water in both Selangor and the Klang Valley was at 4,641 million litres a day.

National Weather Forecast Centre director Muhammad Helmi Abdullah said weather conditions suitable for cloud seeding were expected to last until this Sunday.

“It might not be so good next week. We’re monitoring the conditions every day,” he said.

Muhammad added that there might be a “temporary break” in seeding-conducive weather then, though he did not say how long this would last.

Cloud seeding resumed in Malaysia on March 15 after the Royal Malaysian Air Force recalled a C-130 Hercules from MH370 search duty for this purpose.

Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili previously warned that unless rainy weather came to Malaysia, a water emergency might be declared.