Enough water for Alor Gajah folk for now

MELAKA: There is sufficient water for Alor Gajah residents despite the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) report on decreasing raw water storage reserves in several states due to the current hot weather, says a state executive councillor.

State works, infrastructure, public amenities and transport committee chairman Datuk Hameed Mytheen Kunju Basheer said the water level at Jus Dam in Alor Gajah is currently at 81.1% and a disruption in supply is not expected anytime soon.

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“Furthermore, we have a number of contingency plans in place in the event the water level at the dam goes down.

“The water treatment plant at Gadek here is also capable of supplying 76 million litres of treated water a day by sourcing raw water from Sungai Batang Melaka,” he said when interviewed here yesterday.

Hameed Mytheen said there is a supplementary supply mechanism if the gauge at Jus Dam drops to a critical level, adding that the total stores of water in all three dams in the state were at “comfortable levels”.

“We have enough water in storage until June if the hot weather continues without rain,” he said.

Hameed Mytheen was asked to comment on media reports about a drought forecast for three river basins, namely at Sungai Muda in Kedah, Sungai Kelantan and Sungai Melaka.

Nadma had said on Monday that the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) had forecast possible water supply disruption problems in the Sik district, Kedah; Pasir Mas, Machang, Tanah Merah and Kota Baru in Kelantan; as well as Alor Gajah.

Nadma also said that raw water storage reserves in four dams in Johor, Penang and Kedah showed a decrease to critical levels due to the hot weather, as of yesterday.

These are the West Sembrong Dam in Johor which is now at a 31.65% level; Air Itam dam in Penang (35%); and Kedah’s BS Padang Saga Dam (39.67%) and Malut Dam (39.90%).

Nadma, quoting the National Water Services Commission and DID, said water storage reserves at the Muda Dam in Kedah is at the warning level of 41%.

Three dams in Perlis, Johor and Penang are showing water storage reserves at the alert level.