ZAFIRA ANWAR New Straits Times 27 Jun 14;
KUALA LUMPUR: ABOUT three million consumers from more than 700,000 households in Selangor and here are experiencing unscheduled water cuts because of an insufficient supply of treated water.
Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) general manager Priscilla Alfred said those affected were in Gombak, Petaling, Klang, Shah Alam and Hulu Langat.
Priscilla said several areas here and in Hulu Langat had been facing water disruptions since June 17 as the Sungai Semenyih and Sungai Langat treatment plants were unable to meet the high demand for treated water.
Other areas in Klang and Shah Alam had been experiencing disruptions and low water pressure because of the temporary closure of the Sungai Selangor Phase 1 (SSP1) treatment plant managed by Syarikat Pengeluar Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Splash).
“This had also resulted in electricity cut from 4am to 6am
in some areas on Tuesday,” she said.
She added that water supply to the areas had yet to be restored
even though the plant was reopened.
Priscilla said Splash’s move to reduce the production of treated water at the Sungai Selangor water treatment plant following a drop in raw water level had caused
similar problems in some areas in Gombak, Kuala Lumpur and Petaling.
She said some 758,975 households in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur would continue to experience disruptions as the water reserve was less than one per cent, adding that Syabas would deploy tankers and static tanks to help the affected residents.
Priority, however, would be given to hospitals, dialysis centres and other critical installations.
More areas are also expected to face water disruptions due to the prolonged dry spell.
Selangor Youth and Sports, Infrastructure and Public Utilities committee chairman Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi had, on June 17, said the state had enough water to last for at least four to five months, based on water levels in retention ponds and dams.
“At this point, we guarantee that water rationing will not take place,” he had said.
He also said there was enough water supply in the coming months without the cloud-seeding or alternative sources of water, particularly from former mining or retention ponds.
But Water and Energy Research Malaysia Association president S. Piarapakaran said consumers would continue to face water problems as long as the Langat 2 project was not completed.
He said if there was unscheduled maintenance of water treatment plants or a prolonged dry spell, Klang Valley residents would face severe water shortage.
Piarapakaran said no one could give a blanket assurance that there would be enough water.
Households not within Syabas schedule caught without water supply
vincent tan The Star 27 Jun 14;
KUALA LUMPUR: While Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) stated that several areas in the Klang Valley would face unscheduled disruptions and low water pressure, residents at unaffected areas were upset they were caught without water as well.
Bandar Mahkota Cheras resident V. Mano said her area had been affected by unscheduled water cuts since Sunday.
“This water cuts have been happening very randomly.
“I come back to find water supply available in the afternoon followed by no water during the night followed by a total water cut for almost the entire day.
“Sometimes, when the water supply resumes for a short while, it is very dirty,” she said yesterday.
The school teacher lamented that while the state government promised that there would be no water cuts in the area, the residents were facing days without water.
“For now, we are able to conserve water but this cannot continue,” she added.
Another resident from Taman Sri Watan, Ampang, S. Selvanathan said water supply had been disrupted since Wednesday and yesterday.
“This (yesterday) morning the water taps were dry.
“We had water in the evening. We have no idea when it will stop again,” he said.
Syabas warned that a large number of Klang Valley households could face water supply disruptions and low water pressure in the near future, as water intake at the Sungai Selangor Phase 3 (SSP3) water treatment plant had been lowered.
Its Corporate Communications and Public Affairs general manager Priscilla Alfred said Sungai Selangor water levels were at 42.76% as of 8am yesterday.
“SSP3 is managed by Syarikat Pengeluar Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Splash) and the engineers at the plant have lowered the amount extracted as the river levels themselves have dropped,” said Priscilla.
More than 700,000 households are affected by water disruptions caused by low water levels at treatment plants in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
Syabas said Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Petaling, Klang/Shah Alam and Hulu Langat districts will face water cuts and low water pressure for an indefinite period of time.
“The water cut is inevitable as there is no alternative water sources that could be channelled to the affected areas,” the statement said.
