Johor to ration water if dry spell continues

New Straits Times 16 Feb 10;

KLUANG: Johor is bracing for the possibility of water rationing in the next few months if the current dry spell continues.

Kluang is already hit as levels at water catchments and processing plants in Sungai Sembrong Timur and Barat are fast dropping.

As of yesterday, the water supply at Sungai Sembrong Timur reached the critical level of 10 millilitres per day (mlpd), down from the normal level of 20mlpd.

The larger Sungai Sembrong Barat plant is still being maintained at 60mlpd, but in light of the dry spell, the water supply authorities fear that it will also not last.

Johor's water management company, SAJ Holdings Sdn Bhd, is hoping for rain to ease the situation.

The authorities will be monitoring the levels at the Bekok dam in Yong Peng and the Congok dam in Mersing.

If the dry spell in Johor continues, the two dams may face water depletion and it will affect supply to Batu Pahat and Muar.

A check by the New Straits Times showed that much of the green lung here had turned brown due to lack of rain. The main Sungai Mengkibol that cuts through the town was dry with only patches of water.

SAJ Holdings corporate communications head Jamaluddin Jamil said the Kluang district, which has about 25,000 residents, had been experiencing low water supply since Chinese New Year's eve.

"The festive season will see Kluang's population swell to more than 50,000 people as many will come back to visit family and relatives.

"We will make do with the month-long water rationing exercise. Water tanks will be mobilised to areas which are badly hit."

Jamaluddin said the same problem was experienced five years ago.

"If the drought continues, we may have to shut down the Sembrong Timur water processing plant," he said, adding that the dry spell was part of the El Nino phenomenon.

Water crisis making dams in Johor save every drop
Nelson Benjamin, The Star 20 Feb 10;

KLUANG: Johor water authorities have been directed not to release water from dams, especially those used for flood mitigation, and to conserve water where possible.

State International Trade, Industry, Energy, Water, Communication and Environment Committee chairman Tan Kok Hong said the dams would normally release water whenever it rained heavily and reached a certain level.

“Over the past few months, they have been trying to store as much water as possible, even above the usual level as part of our preparation for the dry spell,” Tan said yesterday.

“At the moment, taking care of the needs of the people supercedes the need to provide water for other purposes.”

There are 11 dams in the state.

Tan added the state government was hoping for assistance from the Federal Government to provide funds for marking boundaries properly and fencing up dams to prevent encroachment.

He said the funds, amounting to millions of ringgit which were previously requested, were not allocated under the Ninth Malaysia Plan and the request had been resubmitted under the 10th Malaysia Plan.

State Drainage and Irrigation Department director Chong Chee Han said the department had requested RM5mil to carry out the survey and to gazette the area within the dams managed by the department.

Asked about the findings of the 2008 Auditor-General’s report on encroachments and the need for reservoirs to be better protected, including from illegal farming, he said this could be done after the survey and gazetting had been carried out.

The director of Johor’s water regulatory body Bakaj, Mohd Idris Kaparawi, added that it was important to ensure the dams were protected from encroachment for water quality to be maintained.

“If oil palm plantations are set up too close to the dams, they can absorb too much water or even cause soil erosion,” he said.

On the water crisis in Kluang, SAJ corporate communications chief Jamaluddin Jamal said showers on Thursday had caused the water level in rivers to rise slightly, but the level still needed to be above 0.5m before water supply could be fully restored.