PETALING JAYA: In a bid to protect the quality of river water in the country, a committee has been formed to identify new types of pollutants, says the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry.
“The Special Committee to Address the Deterioration of River Water Quality (JKKAS) decided that the ministry, through the National Water Research Institute of Malaysia, will spearhead the Working Committee to Identify New Types of Pollutants,” it said.
“This committee will develop policies to strengthen administration related to new types of pollutants in the nation’s water sources,” it said in a statement following yesterday’s meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
JKKAS also discussed the initiative by Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd to upgrade its waste treatment plants in phases, involving 2,932 plants nationwide.
This move is aimed at reducing pollution pressure on rivers due to the release of effluents.
Meanwhile, persistent hot and dry spells are causing water levels at several dams and rivers to drop, particularly in the northern peninsula states.
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According to the Irrigation and Drainage Department, the water level at Sungai Anak Bukit in Kedah dropped to 1.71m, reaching the danger level.
Water levels at Sungai Kedah (1.52m) and Sungai Padang Terap (11.9m) in Kedah were at the warning level. In Sarawak, Sungai Entulang (11.77m) and Sungai Mendalam (8.27m) were also at the warning level, while Sungai Jemualang (1.0m) in Johor was at the danger level.
The water levels of several dams were also at warning and critical levels.
The Muda Dam in Kedah is at a critical level, with only 7.8% of its capacity filled. Water levels at the Timah Tasoh (39.3%), Pedu (38.52%), Beris (54.65%) and Malut (37.5%) dams in Kedah were at the warning level.
In Penang, the water level at the Teluk Bahang (29.2%) dam remained critical, while the Air Hitam (35%) dam was at the danger level.
The Bukit Merah dam (15.4%) in Perak also remains critical.
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Bera in Pahang experienced hot weather of between 35°C and 37°C for three consecutive days, prompting the Meteorological Department to place the area under alert.
In a related development, Muda Agricultural Development Authority general manager Kamarudin Dahuli assured rice farmers in Kedah that there would be sufficient water supply to irrigate their crops in the current season.
He said the reservoirs in the three dams operated by the authorities would be able to meet agricultural needs, as shown in simulations.
“Perhaps there is concern among rice farmers, but we can supply water for irrigation,” he said, Bernama reported.
He added that a simulation was also conducted assuming there would be no rain until the end of the season, and it still showed sufficient water supply.
Kamarudin said cloud seeding carried out by the National Disaster Management Agency and several agencies helped increase water levels in the dams.
Recent rain on July 30 and 31 had increased the water levels in these reservoirs.
