PETALING JAYA: The taps have run dry for 20,000 people in Kedah, the first state hit by water supply cuts due to the scorching heat and lack of rain in many parts of the country.
Following the disruption, the Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry has urged state governments to keep a watchful eye on their water supply as 16 areas, mostly in northern Peninsular Malaysia, are now on heatwave alert.
“The ministry requests that state governments and water concessionaires in all states closely monitor the water supply in the dams and rivers that supply raw water to treatment plants.
“This is to ensure that early action can be taken to handle any possibility of water supply disruptions occurring,” the National Water Services Commission said in a statement.
The commission said there is inadequate supply to the Tupah water treatment plant due to prolonged dry weather and lack of rain, especially in Merbok, Kedah.
This has led to supply cuts to water users in Semeling, Merbok, Singkir, Tanjung Dawai and their surrounding areas, causing the Kedah water authority to put out an SOS.
Water tankers, including some from Penang, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Terengganu and Selangor, have been sent to Kedah by the ministry to supply water to people in affected areas, the statement said.
“The Tupah water treatment plant has dried up. Merbok and Tanjung Dawai folk have no more piped water and we need more tankers to send water to more than 20,000 people,” said a Kedah government source.
The Tupah plant in Bedong relies on the Gunung Jerai forest as a catchment area, which is close to Sungai Petani and is more than 70km away from the Ulu Muda catchment area.
The source said Kedah began water rationing in several areas since mid-February.
“We are still producing water from Ulu Muda in the north, but there is not enough to go around. The taps run dry before the water can reach the coastal plains far away,” said the source.
According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department’s (MetMalaysia) January drought monitoring report, Langkawi took top position with 26 days without a drop of rain.
The number of areas placed on Category 1 or heatwave alert has meanwhile risen from three on Saturday to 10 on Monday and up to 16 yesterday.
As of yesterday the areas under heatwave alert were Chuping in Perlis; Kota Setar, Sik and Baling (Kedah); Hulu Perak and Kuala Kangsar (Perak); Tanah Merah, Jeli, Kuala Krai and Gua Musang (Kelantan); as well as Jerantut, Raub, Temerloh, Bentong, Maran and Pekan (Pahang).
According to the MetMalaysia, a Category 1 or heatwave alert is issued when temperatures are between 35°C and 37°C for three consecutive days.
Category 2 is when temperatures rise above 37°C for three days straight.
When this happens, the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry is empowered to officially declare a heatwave in that area.
This is to enable the relevant authorities to take follow-up action, such as the closing of schools.
When an area hits Category 3 (temperatures above 40°C for three days in a row), the National Disaster Management Agency will be notified and the Prime Minister can declare an emergency.
In Tumpat, Kelantan, padi farmers are using water pumps to irrigate their padi fields due to the dry weather, Bernama reported.
“Farmers have to wait their turn to use the pump to ensure that water fills all sections of their padi fields in order to protect their crops,” farmer Mohd Anuar Hassan, 42, said.
Rubber tappers in the state are meanwhile seeing a drop in their earnings as the hot weather is causing their trees to shed leaves, reducing the amount of latex collected.
“Currently a tree can only produce between 1kg and 3kg of latex per day compared to up to 5kg previously. In addition, the current low prices for latex makes things worse for us,” the chairman of the Tanah Merah Rubber Tappers and Smallholders Action Group Izani Zakaria told Bernama.
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