Malaysia: Close watch on water level at dams

The Star 15 Jan 16;

JOHOR BARU: SAJ Holdings Sdn Bhd is closely monitoring the current water levels at the Sungai Layang and Sungai Lebam dams in view of the El Nino phenomena.

The Meteorological Department forecasts that El Nino is likely to last until the end of March, causing dry spells and lower rainfall for the next three months.

SAJ Corporate Communications head Jamaluddin Jamil said it would do its best to ensure water users do not face any inconvenience like last year.

“At the same time, consumers are also advised to use water wisely and avoid wastage,’’ he told StarMetro.

SAJ had from Aug 16 to Dec 31, 2015 implemented a scheduled water rationing exercise (SWR) affecting about 641,495 domestic and industrial consumers in three districts in south Johor.

It was done after water levels at the Sungai Layang dam in Masai, Pasir Gudang and Sungai Lebam in Kota Tinggi had reached critical levels.

The Sungai Layang dam supplies water to 575,000 users in Pasir Gudang and Masai - mostly industrial users - and parts of Johor Baru.

The Sungai Lebam dam channels water to about 66,495 users in Mukim Tanjung Surat, Mukim Pantai Timur and parts of Kota Tinggi.

“Although the water levels at the two dams are still at critical levels, we ended the exercise because of the burden faced by consumers,’’ said Jamaluddin.

He said that the water level at the Sungai Layang dam had dropped to 21.47m as of Jan 13, from 23.50m (critical level), and Sungai Lebam dam from 12.27m to 10.16m.

Jamaluddin said water at the other dams in Johor were at acceptable levels.