No water rationing for now but use sparingly, SPAN urges

PETALING JAYA: There will not be any water rationing for now but conservation efforts should begin, warns the National Water Services Commission (SPAN).

The commission’s corporate communications director Carol Pelly said SPAN was constantly working with water operators to monitor dam levels.

She said these operators would submit a request to carry out water rationing and SPAN would review the request and give its approval if it was deemed necessary.

“We will give reasonable amount of warning if water rationing is to be implemented,” Pelly said.

On Friday, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau said scorching heat was forecast on March 20.

He said the current hot spell could cause a heat wave if the temperature exceeded 35°C for five straight days or 37°C for three consecutive days.

Pelly said during the current hot spell, it was important for the people to use water sparingly and conserve as much as possible.

“Storing rain water to water plants will also allow treated water to be used for more urgent needs like cooking and drinking,” she added.

She also encouraged industrial users to review their current water management practices.

“They should promote good and efficient water usage, recycle water or even use alternative sources.”

Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia president S. Piarapakaran said even though the inter-monsoon season was expected in April, authorities should start preparing for the worst.

“What if the dry season persists longer than predicted? When there is a severe dry season, clouds are hard to come by and cloud-seeding cannot be carried out,” he said, adding that cloud-seeding should be done before a crisis sets in.

Recently, Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan was among the first to sound the alarm, urging consumers to be prudent with water usage as the levels were critical in five of the state’s dams, namely Sg Terip, Kelinchi, Talang, Teriang and Sg Beringin.