Water crisis if dry spell goes on

Fast drying up: It is getting critical at the Teluk Bahang Dam in Penang.

KUALA LUMPUR: Several states are in danger of a water crisis if the hot weather continues, says Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili.

He said Sabah, Perlis, Johor and Kedah were among the states that would be affected.

“Over the next two to three weeks, if the weather continues, there may be insufficient water for treatment by the plants. Now we are praying for rain to come.

“We are monitoring the situation very closely,” he said at the launch of the Asiawater 2016 conference yesterday, adding that some areas in Negri Sembilan were also at risk.

“Water at some dams are at critical levels but they are still managing. No requests for rationing yet.”

He also commented on non-revenue water (NRW), saying that as in most states, Putrajaya had not been able to lower the amount proportionately to investment in the sector.

“Only three states have achieved a commendable NRW level of below 30%,” he said, adding that five states recorded a level of 40 to 50%.

He added that a new NRW action plan has been formulated and would be brought before Cabinet by the end of the month.

He said that while the overall investment amount has not been fixed, the first priority was to deal with existing operators to change connectors that can be fixed immediately, and after that replace old pipes.

“Managing NRW is no longer a one-off exercise,” he said.