Tasik Subang dam is one of seven main dams in Selangor. — Filepic
SELANGOR is well prepared to face possible drought next year or in 2026, with enough water resources on hand and plans to restructure its distribution if needed.
State infrastructure and agriculture committee chairman Izham Hashim said the combined capacity of the state’s seven main dams and 100 ponds identified as alternative water sources could last eight to nine months.
“Selangor’s water management, through the Water Resources Assurance Scheme (Skim Jaminan Air Mentah or SJAM), is not only for daily usage or pollution mitigation but also if there is a prolonged absence of rainfall.
“The dams in the state have enough water in storage for about four to five months, and more in water retention ponds for another three months,” he said during the Selangor State Assembly sitting at Bangunan Dewan Negeri Selangor in Shah Alam.
He was responding to a question by Nushi Mahfodz (PN-Semenyih) on the state’s preparedness to face possible drought next year or 2026 due to the El Nino phenomenon.
Izham said the ponds would also be connected to the state’s rivers through a dual-function pumping system, serving as a water storage and flood mitigation system.
“We are also looking at restructuring water distribution if there is a drought.”
He added that the water capacity at all seven dams in Selangor was over 90% as of Nov 4.
Izham also said the state has expanded its use of artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) technology to monitor water level and quality.
“The state, through the Selangor Water Management Board (Luas) and Air Selangor, has adopted the latest technology in detecting raw water pollution through monitoring using the River Monitoring Station (RMS).
“This monitoring system is installed at several locations along the main rivers to collect data through sensors.
“These sensors can detect river water quality based on key indicators, and this data can be directly accessed by Luas personnel,” he elaborated.
Additionally, he said Luas had entered into a strategic partnership with Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry through the Malaysian Space Agency (MySA).
MySA has developed the Selangor Earth Surface Activity Monitoring Systems (Sesams) for the agency to monitor land use activities, particularly those related to water bodies and areas with the potential to contribute to water source pollution.
