Water rationing in Kluang begins

The Sembrong dam in Kluang

JOHOR BARU: A month-long scheduled water rationing has started for almost 100,000 residents in Kluang after a dry spell in the state caused the Sungai Sembrong Kiri level to drop to only 0.5m.

The situation resulted in the water treatment plant operating at only two-thirds its capacity, forcing residents to go without water for 36 hours before the taps came on again for another 36 hours.

Syarikat Air Johor (SAJ) has started a month-long rationing, beginning yesterday until April 8, to the affected areas, which are divided into 12 zones.

State Education, Information, Entrepreneurial Development and Co-operative Committee chairman Md Jais Sarday said plantations and vegetable farmers were extracting water from Sungai Sembrong Kiri.

“The land office and the Johor Water Regulatory Body (Bakaj) have taken action against them. However, they reinstalled their pumps the next day.”

Md Jais, who is also Mahkota assemblyman, said the Sembrong Timur water treatment plant used to produce 30 million litres of water a day but now, it was only operating at 21 million litres per day.

Asked about complaints that some areas had been without water for over five days, he admitted that this was true and that any announcement about water scheduling was under the purview of the National Water Services Commission (SPAN), and not SAJ.

“I hope that with the announcement of water scheduling, the worst affected areas like Taman Seri Kluang, Desa Harmoni, Taman Intan, Taman Titiwangsa and Paloh will get their supply,” he said.

Unlike the Sembrong Barat treatment plant, which gets its supply from the dam, the Sembrong Timur plant, located about 20km away, draws water from the river.

“The Sembrong Barat plant is now increasing its production from 55 million litres per day to 57 million litres.

“However, it cannot go beyond this level as this will affect the overall water quality,” he said, adding that the problems would only be solved once the Kahang Dam could be operational by the end of 2018.

Presently, Kluang needs some 86 million litres of water per day.

SAJ corporate communications head Jamaluddin Jamil urged affected residents to be patient as it was using tanker lorries to distribute the water.

Asked about the overall situation of dams in the state, he said currently, the water level at the Sungai Lebam Dam in Kota Tinggi was below the critical level.

The Sungai Lebam Dam channels water to Pengerang, Sungai Rengit, Belungkur, Gugusan Adela, Bandar Penawar, Sg Mas, Gugusan Felda Air Papan and Air Tawar 5.

Both the dry spell and high tide, he said, were also causing more saltwater to travel further into Sg Muar near Jorak.

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