JOHOR BARU: The Johor government is closely monitoring all 17 dams in the state as it prepares for the possibility of a “Super El Nino” between October and December.
State public works, transport, infrastructure and communications committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said the water levels at all the dams were currently under control.
“We monitor all our dams every day and, so far, everything remains under control,” he said after attending an engagement session with taxi drivers here on Tuesday (Sept 8).
The Bukit Pasir assemblyman added the state government was also making early preparations with the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) to deal with the anticipated dry spell.
“We have been in close communication with Nadma on preparations, and this time we may request for cloud seeding to be carried out earlier, before the drought occurs,” he said.
Mohamad Fazli also said cloud seeding had already been carried out in several areas elsewhere, although Johor had yet to make such a request.
He added the sustainability of each dam depended on its technical specifications, with some capable of supplying water for up to a year while others could sustain supplies for about six months.
“So far, all of them are still within the specifications set for each dam,” he said.
However, he said the Gunung Pulai Dam was among those being monitored more closely as its water level had shown a declining trend.
“Based on the pattern we are seeing, Gunung Pulai could be one of the dams that needs closer attention this year.
“However, we have not finalised which dams will be prioritised because the situation is still being assessed,” he said.
Mohamad Fazli said the hot weather was not unique to Johor and could follow different patterns from one year to another.
Apart from cloud seeding, he said several additional measures had also been implemented, although these were not on a large scale.
These included pumping water from one source to another to ensure adequate supplies for water treatment plants.
He added the state had also taken precautionary measures based on water shortages experienced at Machap and Lok Heng previously.
“For Lok Heng, we have installed a desalination plant, while at Machap, we have added pumps to enable us to release more water into the river for the water treatment plant,” he said.
Mohamad Fazli said the state government was continuing to assess whether further measures were needed based on the expected weather conditions.
“We are basing our preparations on previous records, particularly what we experienced at Machap and Lok Heng, but we are still evaluating the situation for the coming period,” he said.
