SPAN ready for water emergencies

PETALING JAYA: The National Water Services Commission (SPAN) has contingency plans in place in the event the water at dams nationwide reach critical levels, says SPAN chairman Charles Santiago.

However, he gave the assurance that water levels at some 70 dams connected to treatment plants nationwide have recorded readings of between 95% and 100% at the moment.

“There is a very slight drop, maybe 5% on average. There is enough water to support the rivers just in case there is a massive drop in the river water.

“The critical point will start at between 30% and 40% onwards.

“But we want to address the problem now before we reach that critical point,” he said yesterday.

Santiago said SPAN will activate emergency plans when water levels drop to 50%, but he did not elaborate on the details.

He also said that the water supply from the dams should be able to last until the end of March, unless there are dramatic changes in the weather.

Santiago advised Malaysians to be prudent with their water usage during the current dry spell.

“I would advise people to go slow on washing cars.

“There are about 1.5 million vehicles in the Klang Valley alone, and if people wash their cars every day, then a lot of water is being used.

“So maybe reduce it to washing the car once in a fortnight,” he said.

He also advised consumers to harvest rainwater and use it for activities such as washing their cars and gardening.

Santiago said that SPAN would continue working with state governments to monitor water levels in rivers and dams that supply drinking water.