Curbing non-essential water uses

PETALING JAYA: Restrictions on the use of water for non-essential purposes may be imposed as Malaysia gears up for drier and hotter weather in the months ahead.

These are among the measures the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Ministry said it will put into place following the forecast that El Nino from April to September would negatively impact the country by causing a lack of rainfall.

This, it said, was based on the analysis and weather modelling carried out by the Malaysian Meteorological Department.

“During dry weather, water availability becomes a critical issue, with water levels from the river dropping and the dams drying, thus, reducing the level of raw water that can be treated,” it said.

The ministry said during critical situations, restrictions on the use of water for non-essential purposes such as watering lawns and parks could be imposed under the Water Services Industry Act, with the minister giving the order.

“The ministry through the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) will monitor the water level at rivers and dams supplying raw water to water treatment plants.

“An Emergency Response Plan will be activated if the water level of rivers and dams becomes too low,” it said in a statement yesterday.

Veil of grey: Komtar in George Town is shrouded in haze, as seen from Bagan Ajam in Butterworth. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star

Other measures include exploring all water resources to increase the availability of raw water supply during the dry season, performing cloud seeding for dams and catchment areas and re-distributing water.

“Members of the public are encouraged to conserve water in their daily use while industrial and commercial users can save by using alternative water for non-potable operations,” it said, adding that this could help reduce water demand.

“Water operators will be directed to increase their efficiency by fixing any leaking pipe quickly to prevent wastage,” said the ministry.

The statement came in the wake of reports that the Penang government had asked the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) to carry out cloud seeding over the state’s water catchment areas as water levels at two key dams – Air Itam and Teluk Bahang – dropped significantly.

The ministry said records showed that out of the 24 dams in Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan that were being actively monitored by SPAN daily, almost all showed above 80% storage level.

Some dams such as Teluk Bahang and Air Itam in Penang and the Lebam, Upper Lanyang, and Sembrong dams in Johor, as well as the Muda dam in Kedah are found to have a supply of around 60%.

“However, during emergency situations, the Mengkuang dam (current storage of around 90%) can channel raw water to the Sungai Dua water treatment plant with a treatment capacity of as much as 1,228 million litres per day,” it said.

The Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant supplies to almost 80% of consumers in Penang.

It said the Linggiu dam, which is the largest dam to supply water in Peninsular Malaysia, had achieved 100% storage to control the flow of water of Sungai Johor, which had seven main water treatment plants.