The Star 17 Apr 16;
KANGAR: Water rationing in the northern parts of Perlis from Wang Kelian, Kaki Bukit, Titi Tinggi, Beseri and Abi has begun.
Perlis Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man said 13,000 domestic users would be affected by the rationing.
He said residents in Kampung Melayu, Kampung Kolam and Kampung Kok Mak in Padang Besar; Jalan Batu 16; National Service Training (PLKN) Complex in Guar Chenderai; and Kampung Bukit Merah, Beseri would still receive water supply, but with lower pressure.
The affected areas, he said, would be supplied with clean water from lorry tankers and static tanks placed at several strategic locations and Syarikat Air Perlis (SAP) would supply clean water to schools or institutions of higher learning in the affected locations if there were requests.
Azlan, who is also SAP chairman, suggested that leave be given to the Guar Chenderai PLKN trainees for the 2.0 Series 13/2016 who started their training on March 26 until water supply returned to normal, while students of the Mara Junior Science College in Beseri could be given leave to return home during the weekend.
“The water rationing plan is subject to changes from time to time by SAP because if it rains in the near future, we can stop the rationing.
"During the critical period, consumers in the affected areas are advised to conserve the water available," he said.
Water rationing in northern Perlis begins today
The Star 16 Apr 16;
KANGAR: Water rationing in the northern parts of Perlis from Wang Kelian, Kaki Bukit, Titi Tinggi, Beseri and Abi began Saturday, said Perlis Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man.
He said 13,000 domestic users would be affected by the move while residents in Kampung Melayu, Kampung Kolam and Kampung Kok Mak in Padang Besar; Jalan Batu 16; National Service Training Programme (PLKN) in Guar Chenderai; and Kampung Bukit Merah, Beseri will still receive water supply with lower pressure.
He said the affected areas would be supplied with clean water from lorry tankers and static tanks placed at several strategic locations in the villages concerned.
He said Syarikat Air Perlis (SAP) would supply clean water to schools or institutions of higher learning (IPT) in the affected locations if there were demands from them.
Azlan, who is also SAP chairman, suggested that leave be granted to the Guar Chenderai PLKN trainees for the 2.0 Series 13/2016 who started their training on March 26 until water supply returned to normal, while students of the Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) in Beseri could be given leave to return home during the weekend.
"The water rationing plan is subject to changes from time to time by SAP because if rain occurs in the near future, we can stop the rationing.
"During the critical period, consumers in the affected areas are advised to conserve the water available during times of emergency," he said after feting 44 former village heads at a gathering at the Dewan Residensi, here Saturday night.
He said the cloud seeding operations in Perlis would be continued for the fifth day Saturday and is expected to end on Monday. - Bernama
Enough water in Malacca dams to last 50 days without rain
KELLY KOH New Straits Times 16 Apr 16;
MALACCA: The state government here has a water shortage contingency plan for water rationing should there be no rain till early June.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron however said there is adequate water at the dams here and this would be able to last for the next 50 days before water rationing should happen.
"Malacca has water to last for the next 50 days without any rain.
"If there is no rain for 50 days, then we may be forced to do water rationing," he told reporters at the Malacca International Air Carnival at Batu Berendam International Airport here, on Saturday.
As of yesterday, Idris said water levels at Jus dam was at 70 per cent and Asahan dam was at 80 per cent, while Durian Tunggal was at 50 per cent.
"If it hits 40 per cent, then we have to be cautious.
This is why we are now pumping between 100 million litres and 200 million litres of water a day from the Jus dam to Durian Tunggal dam.
"We are using a pump system for the first kilometre with the rest using gravitation system."
He added that another 100 million litres of water is being pumped to the Gadek water treatment plant also through the gravitational pipe system.
Idris said Malacca was also sourcing 3.78 million litres of water from Sungai Muar per day.
The state consumes 535 million litres of water per day for both domestic and commercial use. On a related issue, Idris acknowledged that the current heat wave and dry spell had affected the Gadek and Menggong water treatment plant resulting in complaints from residents.
He said water levels at the Gadek treatment plant were low resulting in accumulation of chlorine and causing the water to have a reddish tint.
"We have stopped treatment at the treatment plants and began delivering water to the affected residents.
No need for water rationing yet in Kedah
The Star 17 Apr 16;
ALOR SETAR: The Kedah government will not be carrying out water rationing yet although the levels at three dams are below 50%.
State Housing and Local Government, Water Supply, Water Resources and Energy Committee chairman Datuk Badrol Hisham Hashim (pic) said the total capacity in all the five dams in the state was still sufficient to supply water for domestic and agriculture use.
“Pedu Dam and Ahning Dam are more than 60% full. The level at three other dams – Beris Dam, Muda Dam and the Padang Saga Dam in Langkawi – are less then 50% ,” he said after launching the Tree For a Tree programme organised by Tenaga Nasional Berhad at the Pendang Recreational Park yesterday.
Badrol said cloud seeding was carried out at areas around the dams since last week and would resume again next week.
As of Friday, the water level at Pedu Dam was 91.92m (minimum level is 77.19m), Ahning Dam - 107.05m (81.45m), Muda Dam - 93.86m (88.36m), Beris Dam - 77.27m (68m) and Padang Saga Dam - 17.72m (17.9m).
In Sik, Kedah, chalet owner Mohamad Nasir Mohd Zain was able to repair and strengthen the foundations of the jetty at his Hill Lake View Resort due to the low water level at the Beris Lake.
Mohamad Nasirsaid the water level had subsided about five metres, exposing structures beneath the water surface.
“All these while, even during the dry season, the water level only subsided a little.
“This season is the worst I’ve seen and for the past two months, I’ve been noticing the water level dropping daily,” she said.
A check at one of the pillars beneath a bridge over Beris Lake showed that the water level was at 77m while the watermark for the highest level was at 84m.
A spokesman of the Beris Dam management urged the public not to panic as the water level has not reached a critical stage.
“The water level is at nearly 80m, and water is being released on schedule into Sungai Muda for padi farming and general consumption,” he said.
The concrete faced rockfill Beris Dam is located in a narrow valley of Sg.Beris, 1.6km upstream of the confluence between Sg Muda in the district of Sik, Kedah.
In George Town, the Penang government has underlined three measures to face the “super drought.”
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has proposed that regular cloud seeding activities be carried out in the northern region.
Lim also suggested for all operators to reduce water supply and to provide only sufficient amount of water to meet consumers’ demands. Checks showed that Penang’s Air Itam Dam has a 59.5% capacity while the Teluk Bahang Dam is at 61.1% capacity.
