No water rationing needed in Johor, says exco man

ISKANDAR PUTERI: Johor is confident that it can weather the dry spell without water rationing despite the decreasing levels in the 15 dams state-wide.

State Public Works, Rural and Regional Development Committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammed said water rationing will be the last resort because the dams now have supply for two to three months even if there is no rain.

He added that the dry spell is expected to last until June.

He said that in the past the state had to resort to water rationing, sometimes for up to four months, because of critical levels at the Sg Lebam and Sg Layang dams.

"We have now started the Raw Water Project to Rapid project to fill up the Sg Lebam dam which will be operational by next month and the water transfer to the Sg Layang dam from Sg Seluyut which will be completed by the end of the year," he told reporters here on Wednesday.

Hasni stressed that although both dams are considered the "worst" because of their critical water levels, the state is confident that its measures will be able to resolve the problem.

He said the state water authorities have also been directed to identify alternative water sources for the dams and carry out cloud-seeding operations.

"I ask the public not to panic but instead be wise when using water," he said, adding that all 44 water treatment plants in the state were functioning normally, pumping out 1,700 million litres of treated water to Johoreans each day.

Hasni also directed all agencies such as the Department of Environment and the Drainage and Irrigation Department to monitor effluents being discharged into the waterways.

"Our Sultan Ismail water treatment plant, which draws water from Sg Skudai, always has problems because of the poor water quality," he said.