Saving water most effective way to face El Nino phenomenon

KUALA LUMPUR: Consumers should practice the habit of saving water, which is the most effective step to help the nation face the El Nino phenomenon that is expected to hit next month.

According to researchers, residents in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Putrajaya should cultivate this habit from now.

Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (UPM) Faculty of Environmental Studies deputy dean, Prof Madya Dr Ahmad Makmom Abdullah said saving water was the most effective step to ensure that the water stored in the dams did not drop drastically during the phenomenon.

"We have to start saving water, because it (supply) is not sufficient. We cannot blame the suppliers because they are only trying various initiatives to increase the capacity of the dams, including water from mining pools," he told Bernama on Tuesday.

He said the water crisis would definitely recur, especially in the Klang Valley due to the hot weather and haze, and would have an impact on the water stored in the dams.

Latest records from the Selangor Water Management Authority revelaed that the water level in the Sungai Selangor dam was only at 43 percent and the dam supplies almost 60 percent of raw water to residents in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.

Meanwhile Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Water Research and Analysis Centre (ALIR) head Professor Dr Yang Farina Abdul Aziz said statistics provided by the National Water Service Commission (SPAN) in 2012 showed that average, Malaysians use an average of 212 litres of water per person per day while the World Health Organisation recommends only 160 litres of water per person per day.

"Clearly we are wasting water and this has to stop immediately. If not, the water crisis will happen because of the increasing demand for water, she said. - Bernama