Johor confident of weathering long dry spell without rationing

ISKANDAR PUTERI: Johor is confident of getting through the long dry spell without having to ration its water despite falling levels at its 15 dams.

“Water rationing would be the last resort,” said state Public Works, Rural and Regional Development Committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammed. “The dams are able to supply two to three months of water if there is no rain.”

He acknowledged that in the past the state had to resort to water rationing, sometimes for up to four months, due to critical levels at the Sungai Lebam and Sungai Layang dams.

He said the state was taking steps to avoid a recurrence, including starting a project to fill up the Sg Layang dam and transferring water from Sungai Seluyut to the Sungai Lebam dam.

Also, state water authorities have been directed to find alternative sources of water that can be pumped into the dams, and to start cloud seeding operations.

Its 44 water treatment plants are functioning normally, supplying some 1.7 billion litres of treated water daily.