YEE XIANG YUN The Star 2 Apr 16;
JOHOR BARU: Water concessionaire SAJ Holdings Sdn Bhd has assured residents of Johor that there is still enough water despite levels dropping at three of its seven dams.
SAJ general manager for production and distribution Elias Ismail said the Upper Sungai Layang and Lower Sungai Layang dams had about 35% of water left while the Congok dam in Mersing had about 25%.
He said that the normal water level at dams were 60%.
"Those dams might be in the critical levels but we assure the people that there is enough water to be distributed to the consumers.
"There is no cause for worry. The water levels can be sustained through rainfall and river supply and we are monitoring the situation closely everyday," he said at the Water Day celebration in Hutan Bandar Johor Baru here on Saturday.
All is well for now in Johor despite drop in water levels
YEE XIANG YUN The Star 3 Apr 16;
JOHOR BARU: The current hot spell brought about by El Nino has caused water levels in several dams and rivers in Johor to drop but authorities assured that there is sufficient water supply for everyone.
Syarikat Air Johor Holdings Sdn Bhd (SAJ) general manager for production and distribution Elias Ismail said the Upper Sungai Layang and Lower Sungai Layang dams in Pasir Gudang had about 35% of water.
“Congok dam in Mersing has 25% of water left,” he said.
Elias said normal water level at the dams was 60% and as anything below that was considered critical and urged users to prevent wastage.
“The water level at the Congok dam is currently at 4.8m and it will be of concern if it drops to 4.5m.
“Right now, the situation is manageable,” he said after attending the World Water Day celebration in Hutan Bandar Johor Baru yesterday.
The two Sungai Layang dams supply water to some 575,000 users, mostly for industrial needs in Pasir Gudang and Masai, and parts of Johor Baru.
Congok dam supplies water to about 30,000 other consumers in the state.
Besides the three dams, Elias added that SAJ was on high alert with regards to the Sungai Sembrong Kiri in Kluang, Sungai Mersing in Mersing and Sungai Gembut in Kota Tinggi, where levels had dropped as well.
It was easier to record the levels at dams than rivers because the latter varied daily due to uncontrolled upstream and downstream activities and environmental factors, he said.
He said there would be continuous daily monitoring of the water levels but, for now, there was no cause for worry.
Elias also said the state supplied water to Malacca’s Durian Tunggal dam via Sungai Muar as part of an agreement between the Malacca and Johor state governments but added that this did not interfere with Johor’s water supply.
The seven dams under SAJ’s care are Juaseh dam in Segamat, Congok dam, the two dams in Sungai Layang, Lebam dam in Kota Tinggi, Ledang dam in Tangkak and Gunung Pulai dam in Johor Baru.
