Malaysia: Water transfer initiative likely for critical Sungai Lebam Dam, says Johor exco

Malay Mail 30 Aug 18;

JOHOR BARU, Aug 30 — The Johor government is likely to carry out a water transfer initiative from its other dams especially in southern Johor, if water supply is inadequate following the critical water level at the Sungai Lebam Dam near Kota Tinggi.

State Committee chairman for International Trade, Investment and Utilities, Jimmy Puah Wee Tse said with water usage in southern Johor being the highest in the state, the amount of water at the Sungai Lebam dam was a cause for concern as it was feared to be insufficient.

“The state government will hold a special meeting with relevant agencies to discuss water solving and transfer methods (from the other dams),” he said after visiting the Frontier Industrial Park in Ulu Tiram, here today.

The state would continue to monitor the weather and if it remained hot without rain, it would have to start the water-transfer process (from other dams) if the situation worsened, he said, adding that the water-level readings at other dams had dropped but were not critical.

He said that the Sungai Lebam reservoir’s water level now stood at at 11.48 metres, lower than its critical level mark of 12.32 metres, attributing it to the current hot weather, expected to continue until October.

Puah said that the state government would also have to start water rationing as the existing water supply at the dam was only expected to last for 60 days from today.

The Sungai Lebam Dam reservoir was crucial as it supplies 45 million litres of water daily to more than one million users in southern Johor and the authorities would also monitor the dams that supply water to Kluang and Mersing which were often affected by drought, he added. — Bernama